UAE foreign minister and the Indian PM meet in Delhi to further strengthen the ties between the two nations
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has met the Prime Minister of India – Narendra Modi in Delhi, where they both agreed to take the India-UAE relations to newer heights.
Prior to this, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan was received by Minister of External Affairs of India – S. Jaishankar, on his arrival.
Welcoming his counterpart, S. Jaishankar tweeted, “Happy to welcome a close friend, Foreign Minister of UAE, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan @ABZayed.”
During his meeting with Narendra Modi, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan extended a State invitation to Narendra Modi to visit UAE. Modi had earlier visited UAE in August 2015 and February 2018. Both the leaders vowed to increase cooperation in key sectors such as trade, energy and tourism. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan also highlighted UAE’s vision to enhance bilateral cooperation for mutual benefit of the people of both the countries.
He also emphasised the importance of stability, peace and prosperity in the region. Most importantly, India and UAE have also decided to take the trilateral cooperation initiatives, involving India, UAE and Africa, further.
Expressing his gratitude, Narendra Modi tweeted, “Had a great meeting with UAE’s Foreign Minister, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. We talked at length about further improving economic and cultural relations between India and UAE. @ABZayed”
Besides, PM Modi also conveyed his best wishes for the health, happiness and all-round success to the President of UAE – Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Crown Prince of UAE – Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The visit holds significance as United States (U.S.) has already stated clearly that it will not cooperate with countries who import crude oil form Iran. It is to be noted India and China are the major beneficiary of Iran oil. As regards UAE, it is India’s 3rd largest trade partner and 4th largest energy supplier. More than 3.3 million Indian live in UAE, which is the largest in the Gulf region.
For the records, UAE, as the Chair of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), had invited India for the first time as the ‘Guest of Honour’ at the 46th Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the grouping in Abu Dhabi in March 2018. The move was largely opposed by Minister of External Affairs of Pakistan – Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who even threatened to boycott the event. However, UAE went ahead with extending the invitation to India, where the Former Minister of External Affairs of India – Sushma Swaraj represented India and talked about global peace and joint efforts for countering terrorism.
