Dubai Crown Prince's India visit: Both sides agree to boost defence ties

New Delhi | India and the UAE Tuesday agreed to boost defence ties, including possible co-development of military equipment, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, focusing on cooperation in strategic domains.

Following his meeting with Al Maktoum, Modi said the Dubai Crown Prince's "special" visit to India paved the way for a stronger bilateral collaboration.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Modi and Al Maktoum discussed Dubai's key role in strengthening India-UAE ties across defence, trade, technology, space and connectivity and people-to-people ties.

After his meeting with the visiting dignitary, Singh said India is eager to work closely with the Gulf nation in the defence sector, including in co-production and co-development projects.

Both India and the UAE are committed to work towards peace and prosperity in the region, he said.

The defence ministry said Singh and Al Maktoum were convinced that close collaboration between the defence industries should be an integral part of the bilateral cooperation.

In a social media post, Modi said Dubai has played a key role in advancing the India-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership.

Al Maktoum, also serving as deputy prime minister and defence minister of the UAE, arrived in the national capital this morning on a two-day India visit. He is travelling to Mumbai after concluding his engagements in Delhi.

"Glad to meet HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai. Dubai has played a key role in advancing the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," Modi said.

"This special visit reaffirms our deep-rooted friendship and paves the way for even stronger collaboration in the future," he said.

The India-UAE bilateral ties have been on an upswing in the last few years.

Following the landmark visit of Prime Minister Modi to the UAE in August 2015, bilateral relations between the two countries were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The bilateral trade and investment ties witnessed a major expansion after the two sides inked a comprehensive economic partnership agreement in 2022.

Singh described his meeting with Al Maktoum as "productive".

"Had a productive meeting with the Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy PM and Minister of Defence of UAE Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in New Delhi. For India, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the UAE is of immense priority," he said.

"In the coming years, we are eager to work closely in areas such as defence cooperation, co-production and co-development projects, innovation and technology," he said.

Singh said both India and the UAE are committed to working towards "peace and prosperity" in the region.

The Defence Ministry said Singh and Al Maktoum acknowledged that defence cooperation needs to be scaled up in line with the vision and determination of PM Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

"They identified training exchanges as one of the key areas of defence cooperation which would enable understanding of each other's defence ecosystems and accelerate the strengthening of bilateral defence ties," it said.

Singh and Al Maktoum expressed satisfaction over the active Coast Guard-to-Coast Guard cooperation and committed to further deepen it by formalising the same through an MoU, the ministry said.

"They were convinced that close collaboration between the defence industries should be an integral part of the bilateral cooperation," it said in a statement.

"They emphasised on increasing defence industry collaboration and discussed opportunities for enhancing partnership in defence manufacturing," it said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar too met the Dubai Crown Prince.

"Delighted to welcome Crown Prince of Dubai and DPM & Minister of Defence of UAE HH @HamdanMohamme at the start of his first official visit to India," Jaishankar posted on 'X'.

"Value his positive sentiments for our wide-ranging cooperation and vibrant ties," he added.

PM Modi likely to visit Saudi Arabia this month

New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to pay a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia in April to explore ways to shore up cooperation in areas of trade, investment, energy and defence, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

The two sides are also expected to deliberate on the regional security scenario as well as the proposed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), they said.

The prime minister is likely to travel to Saudi Arabia in the third week of April in what would be his first visit to the influential Gulf nation after a gap of around four years.

In November last, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud visited India that saw both sides discussing avenues to strengthen their strategic partnership, especially in the areas of trade, investment, energy, defence, security and culture.

The overall ties between India and Saudi Arabia have been on an upswing in the last few years.

The Gulf nation has a 2.6 million-strong Indian community and it is considered a vital pillar of the relationship between the two countries.

Prime Minister Modi's visit to Riyadh in April 2016 was considered significant in opening a new chapter in India-Saudi Arabia ties.

The bilateral trade has grown steadily over the years. India is the second largest trade partner of Saudi Arabia while the Gulf nation is the fifth largest trading partner of New Delhi.

In 2023-24, bilateral trade stood at USD 42.98 billion, with Indian exports at USD 11.56 billion and imports at USD 31.42 billion.

Indian investments in Saudi Arabia have also increased in recent years, reaching a cumulative figure of approximately USD 3 billion in August 2023.

These investments are across diverse sectors such as management and consultancy services, construction projects, telecommunications, IT, financial services, software development, pharmaceuticals, etc.

Major Indian companies and corporate groups such as L&T, TATA Motors, Wipro, TCS, Shapoorji & Pallonji, Tech Mahindra, Vedanta and Essar have established a strong presence in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud visited India in September 2023 to attend the G20 summit.

On the sidelines of the summit, leaders of India, EU, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the US announced an MoU committing to work together to develop a new India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.

India eyeing mutual recognition of educational degrees with UAE

New Delhi | Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said India and the UAE are strengthening educational ties with the establishment of IIT and IIM campuses in Dubai, reflecting a deep partnership that is expected to pave the way for mutual recognition of degrees.

He also said that soon the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) will set up its campus in Dubai.

"IIT has started the campus in Dubai, today we decided and will soon have Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Dubai...all of this reflect deep connect between two nations...and I am sure this will grow our relationship to mutually recognising degrees in UAE and India and will take this to next level," Goyal said at the Dubai-India Business Forum in Mumbai.

Such mutual recognition would allow professionals, such as doctors, from both countries to practice without the need for additional qualifications or courses.

The minister also urged the businesses of both sides to tap into the huge potential that exists in the two nations to further boost trade and investments.

Areas where the two sides can enhance cooperation include nuclear energy, critical minerals, renewable energy, green hydrogen, AI, fintec, and food security.

Three years ago, India and the UAE implemented a free trade agreement.

India and the UAE Tuesday agreed to boost defence ties, including possible co-development of military equipment, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, focusing on cooperation in strategic domains.