India on Tuesday expressed deep concern about the situation in West Asia and backed efforts to restore peace and ensure the smooth flow of trade as external affairs minister S Jaishankar met his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Mumbai to review bilateral ties.
The UAE is currently India’s third largest trading partner after China and the US, and two-way trade is worth more than $100 billion. I would also like to thank you today, and through you, the UAE leadership, for ensuring the well-being of the Indian community in the UAE,” he said, referring to the presence of some 4.5 million Indians in the Emirates. The India-UAE economic partnership continues to set new benchmarks despite global headwinds and regional challenges, with bilateral trade surpassing $100 billion since the two sides signed the comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) in 2022, Jaishankar said.
“The situation in the Gulf remains a matter of deep concern. “We continue to support free, safe and unimpeded flow of trade, energy and fertilisers. The two sides have had several high-level engagements this year. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed visited India in January, while Sheikh Khalid, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, led the UAE delegation to the AI Impact Summit in February and the Brics Summit in September. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UAE in May.
We will continue to work together and support all efforts to promote dialogue and diplomacy,” Jaishankar said at the start of his meeting with Sheikh Abdullah. Two-way investments have continued to grow, reflecting businesses’ confidence in each other’s economies, while cooperation in defence, energy and technology is “acquiring a strategic character”, he said. Sheikh Abdullah, the latest in a string of senior Emirati leaders to visit India as the two sides worked to shore up their relations amid the uncertainty created by the West Asia conflict, said his country wanted to further enhance bilateral cooperation. Jaishankar subsequently said on social media that he had a productive meeting with Sheikh Abdullah, who is also deputy prime minister of the UAE, and two sides undertook a comprehensive review of their ties.
Sheikh Abdullah, who arrived in the financial hub on Monday, said the UAE is keen to do more to bolster cooperation in areas ranging from trade to people-to-people ties.
