‘We Want to Be Closer’: UAE Minister Meets Jaishankar to Strengthen Strategic Ties
India on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the situation in West Asia and reaffirmed its support for efforts to restore peace and ensure the smooth flow of trade, as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Mumbai to review bilateral relations.
Sheikh Abdullah, who arrived in Mumbai on Monday, said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was keen to further strengthen cooperation with India across various sectors, including trade, culture, education and people-to-people ties.
The UAE is currently India’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, with bilateral trade exceeding $100 billion.
At the beginning of the meeting, Jaishankar said the situation in the Gulf remained a matter of serious concern.
“The situation in the Gulf remains a matter of deep concern. We will continue to work together and support all efforts to promote dialogue and diplomacy,” he said.
Jaishankar also reiterated India’s support for the free, safe and uninterrupted movement of trade, energy and fertilisers.
He thanked the UAE leadership for ensuring the well-being of the Indian community in the country, which is home to approximately 4.5 million Indians.
Jaishankar said the India-UAE economic partnership continued to achieve new milestones despite global economic challenges and regional uncertainties.
Bilateral trade has crossed $100 billion since the two countries signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2022.
He noted that mutual investments between the two countries had continued to grow, reflecting businesses’ confidence in each other’s economies.
Cooperation in defence, energy and technology is also taking on a strategic dimension, he added.
Sheikh Abdullah, who is also the UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister, said his country wanted to expand bilateral cooperation further amid the uncertainty caused by the conflict in West Asia.
He said the UAE considered it an honour to be one of India’s largest trading partners and that its leadership was committed to building a closer, stronger and more diversified relationship with New Delhi.
“We are very close but we want to be closer,” Sheikh Abdullah said.
He added that the UAE was keen to deepen cooperation with India in areas such as cultural exchanges, education and people-to-people connections.
Following the meeting, Jaishankar described his discussions with Sheikh Abdullah as productive in a social media post.
He said both sides had conducted a comprehensive review of their bilateral ties.
“The breadth and ambition of our cooperation is visible across the domains of trade, investments, energy, technology, logistics, defence, education and people-to-people ties,” Jaishankar said.
India and the UAE have held several high-level meetings and exchanges this year as both countries seek to strengthen their strategic partnership.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed visited India in January. In February, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid led the UAE delegation to the AI Impact Summit, while he also led the delegation at the BRICS Summit in September.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UAE in May.
The latest meeting between Jaishankar and Sheikh Abdullah underscores the continued efforts by both countries to expand cooperation in trade, investment, energy, technology and defence, while supporting dialogue and diplomatic initiatives amid tensions in West Asia.
