Kamal Ghorui
India and the UAE sought to boost their energy, defence shipping and technology ties signing 6 MoUs and announcing investments worth $ 5 billion from the Arab nation into India, as PM Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a brief stopover in Abu Dhabi on his way to Europe. Modi reiterated India’s strong condemnation of the attacks on the UAE, without naming Iran, as he said it’s unacceptable the way the Gulf state was targeted. “India stands with UAE shoulder-to-shoulder under all circumstances and will continue to do so in the future too,” said the PM, while offering all possible support for early restoration of peace.While one of the agreements will allow the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to potentially ramp up its crude storage in India to 30 million barrels, another MoU is expected to facilitate a long-term LPG sale and purchase agreement between the 2 countries. A framework for strategic defence partnership was also signed with focus on defence industrial collaboration, innovation and advanced technology, training and exercises. According to an Indian readout, Modi also conveyed India’s clear position in favour of ensuring safe transit passage and unimpeded navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital for enduring regional peace and stability, as well as energy and food security. Modi departed for the UAE in the morning, while the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting here was still on and amid efforts by member-states to bridge the gap between Abu Dhabi and Tehran on the West Asia conflict. The meeting finally ended without a joint statement because of these differences, and Iran blaming Abu Dhabi for the impasse. Reciprocating Modi’s gesture when he visited India in January this year, the UAE president too received the PM at the airport. UAE F16 jets escorted Modi’s aircraft to the airport. This was Modi’s 8th visit to the UAE as president. According to an Indian readout, the leaders welcomed the announcement of $ 5 billion in investment into India by UAE entities. “This includes investment $ 3 billion by the Emirates NBD in the RBL Bank of India, $ 1 billion by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) with the National Infrastructure & Investment Fund of India (NIIF) in priority infrastructure projects in India, and $ 1 billion by the International Holding Company in Sammaan Capital of India,” said the readout, adding that these investments underscored UAE’s sustained and long-term commitment to India’s growth story, while strengthening the bilateral strategic investment partnership. Referring to the president as his brother, the PM said in a post on X that his visit to the UAE was brief, yet extraordinarily fruitful. “And I am confident that the outcomes of this visit will further solidify the bonds of friendship between us, and contribute to achieving growth and prosperity,” he said. Two other MoUs were signed for ship repair cooperation, seeking to enhance capabilities of Indian maritime workforce and position India as a hub for skilled shipbuilding and ship repair professionals. Another MoU was meant to facilitate collaboration for setting up supercomputing cluster as part of AI Mission India.
