New Delhi, Nov 2 India and the United Arab Emirates carried out a comprehensive review of their bilateral ties in key sectors such as energy and trade and exchanged views on the overall situation in West Asia during Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s two-day trip to the Gulf nation that concluded on Monday.
In Abu Dhabi, Misri held talks with Reem Al Hashimy, the Minister of State for International Cooperation and the UAE’s special envoy for India, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
“The two sides reviewed the strategic bilateral partnership across the sectors and explored new avenues of cooperation. They also exchanged views on regional and global developments,” it said.
There has been a sudden escalation in tensions in West Asia, especially after Houthi militants carried out several strikes on Saudi Arabia.
India has been voicing serious concern over the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia’s civilian infrastructure and economic assets, cautioning that such strikes undermine regional stability and threaten freedom of navigation through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.
The MEA said Misri also met Abu Dhabi’s Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak.
The meeting offered an opportunity to explore closer institutional linkages and fresh avenues for cooperation in cultural and creative exchanges as well as tourism, it noted.
The visit underscored the mutual trust and strategic convergence that underpin India-UAE ties, and the shared resolve of both sides to impart further momentum to the partnership in the period ahead.
Misri’s visit to Abu Dhabi came two weeks after UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan travelled to India.
There has been a significant upswing in bilateral trade and people-to-people ties after New Delhi and Abu Dhabi inked the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2022.
The two countries are among each other’s top trading and investment partners, bolstered by the CEPA, a local currency settlement system, and the bilateral investment treaty.
(PTI News)
