India values strategic partnership with UAE: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday met UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan and thanked him for his guidance in taking bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to greater heights.

Jaishankar also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greetings to President Zayed al Nahyan. “Thank HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan for receiving me. Conveyed the personal greetings and warm wishes of PM @narendramodi. Highly value his guidance in taking our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to greater heights,” Jaishankar tweeted.

Jaishankar was on a three-day visit to the UAE to review the entire spectrum of ties between the two countries. During the visit, EAM met several UAE dignitaries.On September 1, Jaishankar co-chaired the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdulla bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

The two ministers were joined by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi – UAE MOS for Foreign Trade, Vinay Kwatra – Foreign Secretary of India and Ambassadors and senior officials from both sides.

During the 14th round of JCM, the foreign ministers of both countries expressed their deep satisfaction at the continued high growth trajectory of bilateral relations between India and UAE.

In this context, they noted the regular high-level political interactions between both sides, especially the meeting between PM Modi and UAE President on June 28 in Abu Dhabi, their Virtual Summit on February 18 and their participation in the virtual I2U2 Summit in July 2022.

Both ministers noted the cooperation between the two countries in various multilateral forums and international organizations, in particular in the UN Security Council.Both Ministers expressed happiness at the entry into force of the landmark Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on May 01 and the organisation of various activities and events for the effective implementation of the Agreement.Both ministers reiterated their commitment to achieving the goal of USD 100 billion of bilateral trade in the next five years. They also positively assessed the investment partnership between both countries and the growth of UAE investments in India in diverse sectors.

“It is expected that the next meeting of the High-Level Task Force between the two countries will be held shortly in India,” the MEA said.The progress in various elements of bilateral cooperation identified in the Vision Statement adopted by the two leaders on 18 February 2022 was also reviewed. The two ministers noted the commitment on either side to strengthen long-term energy partnership, including two-way investments.

They also noted the progress in discussions on various aspects related to renewable energy and Green Hydrogen. An MOU on Climate Action was signed in May 2022.“Both ministers reviewed the ongoing discussions between the two sides in the area of food security, including in the I2U2 framework. They expressed happiness at the forward movement in healthcare and education cooperation,” the MEA said in a statement.

A team consisting of both government and private sector representatives from India and UAE visited Kenya and Tanzania recently to identify opportunities for joint projects in the health sector.