India And UAE Co-Chair 15th Joint Commission Meeting To Enhance Bilateral Relations
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India's Minister of External Affairs, co-chaired the 15th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting in New Delhi. This meeting underscored the enduring strategic ties between the two nations. The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation across various sectors, reflecting the deep-rooted historical relationship between their peoples.
The agenda reviewed achievements from the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which has significantly boosted trade to approximately US$84 billion last year. Discussions also covered outcomes from the Joint Commission's October 2024 meeting, addressing issues like goods, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade, sanitary standards, and services trade.
In his address, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah highlighted the progress in UAE-India relations over time. He emphasised the importance of bilateral platforms like the Joint Commission in strengthening their unique partnership and enhancing cooperation across all beneficial areas for both nations. Dr. Jaishankar noted India's commitment to innovation and economic growth with UAE collaboration.
The ratification of the UAE-India Bilateral Investment Treaty (New India-UAE BIT) was praised as a crucial step towards a robust legal framework ensuring comprehensive protection and promoting mutual investments. Notable investments were highlighted, such as Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's decision to establish a subsidiary in Gujarat International Financial Tec-City.
The two sides explored prospects for cooperation in various fields including integrating national digital payment systems and developing the UAE-India food corridor. They also discussed expanding collaboration in science, research, education, nuclear energy, space, and critical minerals.
The UAE delegation included several key figures: Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy; Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State; Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the Central Bank; Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs; Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, Assistant Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs; Omran Sharaf, Assistant Minister for Advanced Science and Technology; Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister for Energy and Sustainable Affairs; Dr. Maha Barakat, Assistant Minister of Medical Affairs and Life Sciences; Dr Abdulnasser Jamal Alshaali, Ambassador to India.
Memorandum of Understanding on Polar Research
Following the meeting's conclusion where Sheikh Abdullah and Dr. Jaishankar signed the minutes of the commission meeting. They witnessed an exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on polar research cooperation. The MoU was exchanged by Abdulla Balalaa from UAE's side and Dr Ravichandran from India's Ministry of Earth Sciences.
With inputs from WAM
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