In an attempt to deepen strategic cooperation, India and the UAE on Wednesday signed strategic partnership agreement and an MoU on defence cooperation as the visiting Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the long-awaited MoU on $75 billion investment fund — more than Rs 5 lakh crore — was not inked. Officials, who had expressed hope that the pact will be signed, said the talks are in an advanced stage. Sources said the two sides were able to arrive at outcomes on four key pillars of the bilateral relationship: security and defence, trade and commerce, energy security, and the Indian community’s welfare. Ahead of delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House, Modi and Al Nahyan held a one-on-one meeting for nearly an hour at the Prime Minister’s official residence. Counter-terrorism and security situation in the region were among key issues understood to have been discussed. Modi later said: “We have shaped an ambitious road map of engagement to make our comprehensive strategic partnership purposeful and action-oriented. The agreement exchanged just now has institutionalised this understanding.” He said, “Security and defence cooperation have added growing new dimensions to our relationship. We have agreed to expand our useful cooperation in the field of defence to new areas, including in maritime domain. The MoU on defence cooperation, signed earlier today, will help steer our defence engagements in the right direction.” “We feel our growing engagement in countering violence and extremism is necessary for securing our societies,” he said. Al Nahyan, who will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, said he is confident that bilateral ties will experience major transformation in the years to come. He said the agreements opened broad prospects for cooperation. Related | Beyond the news: Why UAE Crown Prince is a very special Republic Day guest Calling the discussions “fruitful and productive”, Modi said convergence between the two countries can help stabilise the region and the economic partnership can be a source of regional and global prosperity. “We exchanged views on developments in West Asia and the Gulf, where both countries have a shared interest in peace and stability,” he said. “We also discussed developments in our region, including Afghanistan. Our shared concern on growing threat from radicalism and terrorism to the safety and security of our people is shaping our cooperation in this space.” He noted, “Moving forward, our cooperation stands poised for a major take-off.” As they agreed to expand cooperation in the field of defence and maritime domain, Modi said the MoU on defence cooperation will help steer defence engagements in the right direction. Modi spoke about the trade and commerce aspect, another key pillar. Terming the UAE as “an important partner in India’s growth story”, and a close friend in an important region, he said he has conveyed the interest of Indian companies to be a partner in infrastructure projects for World EXPO 2020 in Dubai. The pacts signed included cooperation in defence manufacturing and technology with focus on armament and transfer of expertise, maritime transportation and economic activities, exchange of best practices in road transport and a pact dealing with working together in prevention and combating of human trafficking.
