Abu Dhabi: The UAE and India are about to sign two significant agreements on security and transfer of prisoners.

The India-UAE Foreign Office Consultations (FOC), which were held on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, were to review the current status of three proposed agreements.

Indian Ambassador M.K. Lokesh told Gulf News after the meeting that it was decided that the agreements would be expedited.

Lokesh said both sides had almost finalised the two agreements — one about security co-operation between the two nations, and the other for the transfer of prisoners.

In July Gulf News reported that the UAE and India were drawing up an agreement to allow prisoners to be transferred between the two countries.

Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, led the UAE delegation and Vijayalatha Reddy, Secretary (East) in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, led the Indian delegation in the consultations.

Ministerial level

Lokesh said the proposed security co-operation agreement had been designed to ensure the exchange of information on security matters between both countries.

The proposed agreement on those who have been sentenced would allow the transfer of prisoners between the two countries, he said. The agreement would enable Indian convicts in the UAE to serve their sentences in their home country, the ambassador said. He said there were about 1,300 Indians in UAE jails. A few were convicted and the others were on trial or in detention.

The Indian ambassador said negotiations were continuing on a proposed agreement on mutual assistance in customs matters. A delegation from UAE Customs was currently visiting India as part of the negotiations, he said.

The agreements would be signed at the ministerial level, the ambassador said.

A spokesman for the Indian Embassy said in a statement that those who took part in the high-level consultations, held after a long time, agreed to increase the number of visits between the two countries, to consolidate the excellent relationship at the political level.

The spokesman underscored the need for an early convening of the ministerial level India-UAE Joint Commission, which last met in 2007.

Those at the negotiations said they were satisfied with the rate of growth in trade and econ-omic links between the two countries, which had become major trading partners for each other, a spokesman said.