India and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday signed 14 deals in various sectors including defence, security, trade and energy. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had arrived in India on Tuesday and will be Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Al Nahyan jointly addressed a press conference on Wednesday where they expressed shared concerns over terrorism and radicalisation.
MoUs in defence, agriculture, shipping, oil, road transport, maritime, and commerce, among others, were also signed. Calling his interaction with Al Nahyan “fruitful” and “productive”, Modi said the Defence Cooperation deal will help steer defence engagements in the right direction. “We also feel that our growing engagement in countering violence and extremism is necessary for securing our societies,” Modi said.
Modi said that cooperation between the two countries stands “poised for a major take off”, adding that the two leaders had discussed their views on developments in West Asia and the Gulf. ”We also discussed developments in our region, including Afghanistan. Our shared concern on growing threat from radicalism and terrorism to the safety and security of our people is shaping our cooperation in this space,” Modi said. Modi also thanked Al Nahyan for looking after the welfare of around 2.6 million Indian nationals in UAE.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday had said they expected an MoU between the UAE’s investment fund and India’s National Infrastructure Investment Fund to be signed, PTI reported. The deal will put in place a framework on how the fund will be administered, Secretary of Economic Relations, MEA, Amar Sinha had said. However, this much-anticipated MoU was not one of the pacts signed on Wednesday.
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