New Delhi:

India and the United Arab Emirates will look to further their already-strong strategic partnership to an all-time high when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his counterpart Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan will meet in Delhi today for a comprehensive strategic dialogue.

Mr Jaishankar and Sheikh Al Nahyan will review the entire gamut of ties between India and UAE and focus on enhancing the strategic partnership. The meeting also assumes significance as it comes close on the heels of the regime change in Syria.

West Asia, popularly called the Middle-East by Western nations, is at a critical juncture, with tensions between Israel and Iran simmering, the situation in Syria being extremely volatile, and Turkey launching strikes on Syria too. Bashar Al-Assad has been granted asylum in Moscow and Russia has lost its access to the Mediterranean Sea with the Tartus naval base in Syria now no longer in its control.

The two leaders will discuss the crises in the middle-east in great detail. Besides geopolitics, and strategic ties, Mr Jaishankar and Sheikh Al Nahyan will have a comprehensive dialogue on other aspects of the bilateral relationship between India and UAE, including trade and commerce, investment, cultural and scientific ties, among others.

Sheikh Al Nahyan, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister of UAE, will then call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It was Prime Minister Modi’s historic visit to the UAE in August 2015 that elevated the bilateral relationship between the two countries to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The two nations also signed the landmark Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or CEPA in 2022 which resulted in a massive upswing in trade and investment between the two sides. The trade deal led to the elimination of several tariffs and significantly lowered other levies. This further led to enhanced market access across various sectors.

Today, India and the UAE are among each others top trading partners, and the bilateral trade between the two countries stood at around USD 85 billion in 2022-23. UAE was also among the top four investors in India in terms of Foreign Direct Investments or FDI in 2022-23.

The two leaders will aim to build on these and scale up economic ties when they meet in New Delhi tomorrow. Mr Jaishankar might also raise the issue of visa applications reportedly being denied to Indians after new rules have been set in the UAE.

Dubai’s emigration department recently introduced stricter requirements for tourist visas, mandating travelers to provide hotel booking documents with QR codes and a copy of their return tickets. For travelers staying with relatives, additional proof of accommodation is needed by the latter. This has reportedly led to a significant rise in visa applications being rejected.

(Inputs from PTI)
 

New Delhi:

India and the United Arab Emirates will look to further their already-strong strategic partnership to an all-time high when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his counterpart Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan will meet in Delhi today for a comprehensive strategic dialogue.

Mr Jaishankar and Sheikh Al Nahyan will review the entire gamut of ties between India and UAE and focus on enhancing the strategic partnership. The meeting also assumes significance as it comes close on the heels of the regime change in Syria.

West Asia, popularly called the Middle-East by Western nations, is at a critical juncture, with tensions between Israel and Iran simmering, the situation in Syria being extremely volatile, and Turkey launching strikes on Syria too. Bashar Al-Assad has been granted asylum in Moscow and Russia has lost its access to the Mediterranean Sea with the Tartus naval base in Syria now no longer in its control.

The two leaders will discuss the crises in the middle-east in great detail. Besides geopolitics, and strategic ties, Mr Jaishankar and Sheikh Al Nahyan will have a comprehensive dialogue on other aspects of the bilateral relationship between India and UAE, including trade and commerce, investment, cultural and scientific ties, among others.

Sheikh Al Nahyan, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister of UAE, will then call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It was Prime Minister Modi’s historic visit to the UAE in August 2015 that elevated the bilateral relationship between the two countries to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The two nations also signed the landmark Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or CEPA in 2022 which resulted in a massive upswing in trade and investment between the two sides. The trade deal led to the elimination of several tariffs and significantly lowered other levies. This further led to enhanced market access across various sectors.

Today, India and the UAE are among each others top trading partners, and the bilateral trade between the two countries stood at around USD 85 billion in 2022-23. UAE was also among the top four investors in India in terms of Foreign Direct Investments or FDI in 2022-23.

The two leaders will aim to build on these and scale up economic ties when they meet in New Delhi tomorrow. Mr Jaishankar might also raise the issue of visa applications reportedly being denied to Indians after new rules have been set in the UAE.

Dubai’s emigration department recently introduced stricter requirements for tourist visas, mandating travelers to provide hotel booking documents with QR codes and a copy of their return tickets. For travelers staying with relatives, additional proof of accommodation is needed by the latter. This has reportedly led to a significant rise in visa applications being rejected.

(Inputs from PTI)
 

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets UAE Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Thursday (November 14, 2024).
| Photo Credit: ANI

Amidst a flurry of exchanges between Indian and West Asian officials in the recent weeks, two senior Arab diplomats have taken charge of the ambassadorial posts at the Jordan and Egyptian embassies in New Delhi, indicating the fast-paced diplomatic consultations that are taking place between India and the leading powers in the conflict-torn West Asian region.

The arrival of new Jordan Ambassador Yousef Mustafa Ali Abdelghani and new Egyptian Ambassador Kamel Galal is viewed in the diplomatic circle as important, as both Jordan and Egypt are ‘frontline states’ that have a lot at stake in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.

Also Read | The missing links in India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, as shown by the Gaza war

Ambassador Ali Abdelghani and Ambassador Galal are noted for the experience they bring with them that is necessary to maintain India’s relations with the Arab world. While Mr. Galal is noted for his experience of being in charge of the Palestine desk in the Foreign Ministry in Cairo, Mr. Abdelghani is reportedly a former head of the economic department at the Foreign Ministry in Amman and had earlier served in Turkey.

The appointments are significant in the context of the ongoing conflict involving Israel and of the close consultation that India has maintained with regional stakeholders since the beginning of the conflict. Diplomatic sources have informed that India is expected to host an important minister from Cairo soon.

Dialogue with Saudi, UAE

Continuing the regional dialogue, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar hosted Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on November 13, 2024. The two sides discussed the presence of a 2.65 million-strong Indian community that lives in the oil-rich kingdom. Both of them also presided over the second ministerial meeting of the Political, Security, Social, and Cultural Committee (PSSC) of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC). Mr. Jaishankar’s meeting with Minister Al Farhan was followed by his meeting with his counterpart in the UAE, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on November 14, 2024.

Mr. Jaishankar’s interactions with his Saudi Arabia and UAE counterparts came right after Saudi Arabia hosted leaders of Arab and Islamic countries, where the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia demanded an “immediate end” to the Israeli campaign in Gaza and Lebanon and called for the creation of a Palestinian state along the 1967 boundary.

During the G20 Summit in New Delhi last year, the Saudi Crown Prince participated in the launch of the IMEC (India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor) that was going to include the Israeli port of Haifa. Officials are tightlipped about the fate of IMEC, but it is evident that the prolonged Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli attacks in Lebanon have posed a question mark on the initiative.

Former diplomat Dr. Zikrur Rahman, who served as the Indian envoy to Palestine, pointed out that Saudi Arabia has never formally engaged with Israel and is unlikely to do so under the given circumstances.

“Until and unless the Palestinian issue is resolved, there is no question of Saudi Arabia opening any diplomatic linkages with Israel because it is very important to Saudi Arabia to see that its principled stand on a two-state solution, which was championed by King Abdullah, is implemented, leading to the creation of a Palestinian state, and a formula on the return of Palestinian refugees is agreed upon,” Dr. Rahman said.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets UAE Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Thursday (November 14, 2024).
| Photo Credit: ANI

Amidst a flurry of exchanges between Indian and West Asian officials in the recent weeks, two senior Arab diplomats have taken charge of the ambassadorial posts at the Jordan and Egyptian embassies in New Delhi, indicating the fast-paced diplomatic consultations that are taking place between India and the leading powers in the conflict-torn West Asian region.

The arrival of new Jordan Ambassador Yousef Mustafa Ali Abdelghani and new Egyptian Ambassador Kamel Galal is viewed in the diplomatic circle as important, as both Jordan and Egypt are ‘frontline states’ that have a lot at stake in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.

Also Read | The missing links in India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, as shown by the Gaza war

Ambassador Ali Abdelghani and Ambassador Galal are noted for the experience they bring with them that is necessary to maintain India’s relations with the Arab world. While Mr. Galal is noted for his experience of being in charge of the Palestine desk in the Foreign Ministry in Cairo, Mr. Abdelghani is reportedly a former head of the economic department at the Foreign Ministry in Amman and had earlier served in Turkey.

The appointments are significant in the context of the ongoing conflict involving Israel and of the close consultation that India has maintained with regional stakeholders since the beginning of the conflict. Diplomatic sources have informed that India is expected to host an important minister from Cairo soon.

Dialogue with Saudi, UAE

Continuing the regional dialogue, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar hosted Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on November 13, 2024. The two sides discussed the presence of a 2.65 million-strong Indian community that lives in the oil-rich kingdom. Both of them also presided over the second ministerial meeting of the Political, Security, Social, and Cultural Committee (PSSC) of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC). Mr. Jaishankar’s meeting with Minister Al Farhan was followed by his meeting with his counterpart in the UAE, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on November 14, 2024.

Mr. Jaishankar’s interactions with his Saudi Arabia and UAE counterparts came right after Saudi Arabia hosted leaders of Arab and Islamic countries, where the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia demanded an “immediate end” to the Israeli campaign in Gaza and Lebanon and called for the creation of a Palestinian state along the 1967 boundary.

During the G20 Summit in New Delhi last year, the Saudi Crown Prince participated in the launch of the IMEC (India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor) that was going to include the Israeli port of Haifa. Officials are tightlipped about the fate of IMEC, but it is evident that the prolonged Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli attacks in Lebanon have posed a question mark on the initiative.

Former diplomat Dr. Zikrur Rahman, who served as the Indian envoy to Palestine, pointed out that Saudi Arabia has never formally engaged with Israel and is unlikely to do so under the given circumstances.

“Until and unless the Palestinian issue is resolved, there is no question of Saudi Arabia opening any diplomatic linkages with Israel because it is very important to Saudi Arabia to see that its principled stand on a two-state solution, which was championed by King Abdullah, is implemented, leading to the creation of a Palestinian state, and a formula on the return of Palestinian refugees is agreed upon,” Dr. Rahman said.