Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has reviewed with his United Arab Emirates counterpart, Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the multi-faceted India-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership. They discussed new areas with “untapped potential” to enhance collaboration, said an official statement today.
Jaishankar, who was in the UAE on Sunday, also exchanged views with Abdullah bin Zayed on regional and global issues.
The Indian minister visited the iconic BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi and participated in the 10th International Yoga Day celebrations over the weekend before meeting the UAE minister.
The two foreign ministers “reviewed the multi-faceted India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi today.
They expressed “happiness at the substantive progress in diverse areas of bilateral co-operation, including commercial and economic collaboration, fintech, education, culture, and people-to-people connect”.
As per the MEA statement, the two ministers “discussed new areas with untapped potential for further enhancing collaboration” and also exchanged views on regional and global issues.
Taking to X after meeting his UAE counterpart on Sunday, Jaishankar posted: “Very pleased to meet UAE FM @ABZayed today in Abu Dhabi.”
“Productive and deep conversations on our ever-growing Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Appreciated the discussion and his insights on regional and global issues,” he said.
At BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi, which was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14 this year, Jaishankar interacted with the monks of Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sansthan (BAPS), the organisation that built the temple on the land donated by the UAE.
He then inaugurated and participated in the 10th International Day of Yoga celebrations organised by the Indian Embassy in UAE, held at the Louvre, Abu Dhabi, museum premises.
The session lasted for almost 30 minutes, with participants from a multitude of countries at the museum, which regularly holds yoga classes for diverse backgrounds.
Jaishankar’s visit to the UAE, within two weeks of his re-appointment as EAM following the recent general elections in India, “signifies the importance India attaches to its relations with the country”, said the ministry statement.
It added that the visit marked the “continuation of high-level contact between the two countries”.
“Last year, we have also witnessed important milestones in our bilateral relations like the implementation of a local currency trade settlement agreement; the launch of UAE’s domestic credit/debit card based on India’s RuPay card stack; the setting up of a campus of IIT Delhi in Abu Dhabi; fintech collaboration; and commencement of work on IMEEC, among others,” it said.
About a 3.5-million-strong and vibrant Indian community forms the largest expatriate group in the UAE. Both countries signed a landmark comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) in February 2022 to boost economic engagement.