External Affairs Minister Travels to UAE for a Joint Commission Meet from Aug 31 to Sept 2

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from August 31 to September 2 to co-chair the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) and the third India-UAE Strategic Dialogue with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

These meetings will allow both Ministers to review the entire spectrum of comprehensive strategic partnerships between India and the UAE, as well as regional and global developments. EAM will also meet with other UAE dignitaries during his visit, according to a press release from the External Affairs Ministry.

In 2022, India and the UAE have had regular high-level interactions. On June 28, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Abu Dhabi and met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Previously, on February 18, both leaders held a virtual summit at which the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed and a Vision Statement was adopted. Both leaders also attended the I2U2 Summit, which was held virtually on July 14. The UAE will invest USD 2 billion in India to build a network of integrated agriculture parks across the country.

The four countries' leaders, including Israel Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, stated in a joint statement that the US and Israeli private sectors will be invited to lend their expertise in India and offer innovative solutions that contribute to the overall sustainability of the project.

The "I2U2" virtual summit of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States is envisioned as the Quad for West Asia. The goal of I2U2 was to encourage joint investments in six mutually identified areas, including water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.

According to the release, both India and the UAE are committed to expanding their partnership in a variety of areas, including trade, investment, conventional and renewable energy, food security, health, skill development, education, culture, defence, space, consular issues, and people-to-people ties.

These issues were also discussed at the official level during the JCM Sub-Committee meetings on August 23-24, 2022. Notably, on February 18, this year, the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement was signed. It went into effect on May 1 of this year.