Why India-France ties are strong, what’s the significance of PM Modi’s visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Guest of Honour at France’s Bastille Day parade in Paris on Friday. The visit coincides with 25 years of the oldest among India’s almost 30 strategic partnerships around the world — and one of the few that has been marked by “total convergence” ever since the two nations committed themselves to it in 1998. Four French Presidents and three Indian Prime Ministers have nurtured this relationship over the last quarter century. Manmohan Singh was the chief guest at the 2009 parade, which opened with Indian tri-services personnel marching to Saare Jahan Se Achha and Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja. Nicolas Sarkozy was President at the time. The two countries commenced their strategic partnership, India’s first, immediately after India’s nuclear tests, at a time when most Western capitals had turned their backs on New Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in India on Saturday after concluding his two-nation tour of France and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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PM Modi had emplaned from Abu Dhabi in the UAE after finishing his day-long visit to the middle-eastern country.
Prior to this, PM Modi was in France for two days, where he attended the Bastille Day parade as the guest of honour.
"A visit defined by transformative outcomes. PM @narendramodi emplanes for New Delhi after wrapping up a successful visit to UAE," tweeted official spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi.
During the visit, the PM Modi and UAE President Al Nahyan witnessed the exchange of three historic Memoranda of Understanding (MoU). (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday said there was an urgent need for developed countries to fulfil the USD 100 billion delivery plan to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.
In a joint statement on climate change issued after talks between the two leaders, India and the UAE highlighted the importance of the global stocktake (GST) of collective action to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and its successful conclusion at COP28 scheduled to be held in Dubai later this year.
Modi congratulated the UAE for being selected as the host country of COP28 in 2023 and extended his full support to its incoming presidency of the climate conference. (PTI)
The weekend meeting in Riyadh between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the national security advisers of the US, UAE, and India underlines the growing strategic convergence between Delhi and Washington in the Gulf. It also highlights India’s new possibilities in the Arabian Peninsula.
The new India-US warmth on the Gulf is a major departure from the traditional approaches to the Middle East in both India and the US. In India, one of the entrenched principles of the Nehruvian foreign policy was the proposition that Delhi must either oppose Washington or keep its distance from it in the Middle East. Read more
PM Modi held wide-ranging discussions with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during which the two leaders lauded the economic partnership and hoped to achieve the target of USD 100 billion in trade before the G-20 meeting in Delhi in September this year.
A Joint Statement issued during the visit said the leaders resolved to further enhance bilateral partnership in the energy field, both in oil, gas, and renewable energy.
“Both sides will take forward their cooperation in Green Hydrogen, solar energy and grid connectivity. Both sides also agreed to increase investment across the energy spectrum, including in India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve Programme,” it said.
It said the leaders acknowledged the joint work on issues of climate change, particularly during India's presidency of the G20 and the UAE's presidency of COP28.
Recognising the importance of food security, the leaders reiterated their resolve to promote the reliability and resilience of food supply chains and expand food and agriculture trade, including through food corridor projects in India, it said. (PTI)
India and the UAE on Saturday agreed to start trade settlement in their currencies and link the Indian Unified Payments Interface with the Gulf country's Instant Payment Platform (IPP) as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held comprehensive talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan here.
According to an official statement, the Reserve Bank of India and the Central Bank of the UAE signed two MoUs for – establishing a framework to promote the use of local currencies viz. the Indian rupee (INR) and the UAE Dirham (AED) for cross-border transactions; and for cooperation for interlinking their payment and messaging systems.
The MoU on establishing a framework for the use of local currencies for transactions between India and UAE, aims to put in place a Local Currency Settlement System (LCSS) to promote the use of INR and AED bilaterally. The MoU covers all current account transactions and permitted capital account transactions, the statement issued by the RBI said.
Creation of the LCSS would enable exporters and importers to invoice and pay in their respective domestic currencies, which in turn would enable the development of an INR-AED foreign exchange market, it said and added that his arrangement would also promote investments and remittances between the two countries. The use of local currencies would optimise transaction costs and settlement time for transactions, including for remittances from Indians residing in UAE, the statement said. (PTI)
Shaped by millennia-old journeys of cultural and economic engagement on the Indian Ocean’s network of exchange, the India-UAE relationship is today more than an economic partnership. It speaks to the Emirates’s deep, fraternal, and strategically important relationship with India, and reinforces the UAE’s position as an economic hub for India to undertake sustainable and diversified growth through our strategic location at the intersection of global trade.
The India-UAE partnership was forged first on the trade of traditional items, and then strengthened with oil. It found a formal dimension after the creation of the UAE Federation in 1971, and then accelerated in the 1990s, when a liberalised India embraced the opportunity to export to the UAE and markets beyond. The emergence of the UAE as India’s third-largest trading partner has only underlined the positive outlook the two countries share towards economic cooperation. Read more
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was warmly welcomed by the United Arab Emirates President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Qasr Al Watan Presidential Palace. Both leaders had extensive discussions covering various aspects of bilateral ties. 'Deepening India- UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. PM Narendra Modi was warmly welcomed by UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the iconic Qasr Al Watan Presidential Palace. Extensive discussions between the two leaders covering various aspects of bilateral ties lie ahead,' Minister of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. During his meeting with UAE President Zayed Al Nahyan at the Qasr Al Watan Presidential Palace PM Modi said that he is very glad to come to Abu Dhabi and meet the President.
'I feel like I am at my second home. I thank you for the cordial welcome you gave to me and my delegation,' said PM Modi. (ANI)
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan on Saturday served a full vegetarian meal at the banquet he hosted in honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The banquet, at the Qasr-al-Watan presidential palace here, began with harees (wheat) and dates salad served with local organic vegetables and followed by grilled vegetables in masala sauce as starters.
A selection of local seasonal fruits was served for desserts.
“All meals are vegetarian and prepared with vegetable oils, and contain no dairy or egg products,” read a note on the menu card for the banquet.
The Prime Minister is in Abu Dhabi for a day-long visit at the invitation of the UAE President. (PTI)
The Union Ministry of Education and Abu Dhabi's Education and Knowledge Department (ADEK) on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for setting up an IIT Delhi campus in the Gulf country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi is the second IIT to announce setting up an offshore campus after IIT Madras. Last week, IIT Madras signed an MoU for setting up a campus in Tanzania's Zanzibar.
"MoU for establishment of @iitdelhi campus in Abu Dhabi in the presence of Hon. PM @narendramodiji unfolds a new chapter in internationalisation of India's education," Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted.
While Master's courses will be offered at the Abu Dhabi campus of IIT Delhi from January next year, Bachelor's degree programmes will be offered from September 2024. (PTI)
'India-UAE trade witnessed 20 per cent increase since signing of CEPA last year,' said PM Modi IN UAE today during his meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. ' Last year, we signed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) historic agreement within three months which would not have been possible without your cooperation and commitment,' said PM Modi. (PTI and ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured India's full support for UAE's COP28 presidency as he held productive talks with the UN climate conference's President-designate Sultan Al Jaber on ways to further sustainable development here on Saturday.
Modi arrived here in the capital of the UAE following his successful two-day visit to Paris where he joined French President Emmanuel Macron for the Bastille Day parade as the Guest of Honour and signed several agreements to strengthen bilateral ties.
"Had a very productive meeting with Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the President-designate of @COP28_UAE. Our discussions focused on ways to further sustainable development. Highlighted India's contribution in this direction, in particular our emphasis on Mission LiFE," he tweeted.
The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP28, will be the 28th United Nations Climate Change conference, held from November 30 until December 12 at the Expo City, Dubai.
The COP28 summit will be the first formal assessment of countries' progress towards the Paris Agreement's target to limit climate change to 1.5 Celsius of warming. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Abu Dhabi on Saturday on a day-long visit to the UAE during which he will meet UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and review the burgeoning bilateral ties between the two strategic partners.
Modi arrived in Abu Dhabi following his successful two-day visit to Paris where he joined French President Emmanuel Macron for the Bastille Day parade as the Guest of Honour and signed several agreements to bolster bilateral ties.
"I look forward to meeting my friend, H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," Prime Minister Modi said in his departure statement on Thursday.
"Our two countries are engaged across a wide range of sectors such as trade, investments, energy, food security, science and technology, education, fintech, defence, security, and robust people-to-people ties," he said.
Energy, food security, and defence are expected to be the focus areas of Modi's visit to the UAE during which the two countries will review the progress in bilateral relations after they inked a landmark trade agreement.
The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which gave a new thrust to the economic engagement between the two countries, was signed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
India and the UAE are engaged across various sectors such as trade, investments, energy, food security, science and technology, education, fintech, defence, security, and robust people-to-people ties.
The Indian expatriate community is the largest ethnic community in UAE constituting roughly 30 per cent of the country's population. The number of resident Indian Nationals was estimated to be 3.5 million in 2021 as per the UAE records. (PTI)
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