The extraordinary visit to India by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has taken the relationship between the two states to a new level. Both states have committed to a strategic partnership that allows them to work together for their mutual long term aims. This new and closer relationship is very different because it allows both governments to work for joint long term aims, rather than just looking for on good economic ties or whatever ad hoc actions need to be taken to handle situations as they might arise.
As part of their shared view on promoting regional security, both India and the UAE condemned terror and state sponsors of terror, and agreed to set up an annual policy dialogue to discuss issues of peace and security. This important development means that the joint intentions of the two governments can be followed up and developed, and the annual institutionalizing of through such a meeting makes that more certain as the two states continue their dialogue in a formal and noted manner.
A number of significant agreements were signed during the visit covering a wide range of areas like infrastructure investment including railways, ports and shipping, and Shaiklh Mohammad took time to inaugurate a new DP World berth in Mumbai’s port. The two governments will also look for cooperation in finance and insurance; cyber security, and even between their two space agencies. Another important element was for India to make the UAE into a preferred partner for hydrocarbon projects as it plans to ramp up crude imports by 15 percent as it contributes to India’s strategic reserve. Given the large number of Indians working in the UAE it is a significant step that the two countries have agreed to recognize their skills and qualifications, and a meeting within the next few months is expected to lead to a wider understanding of shared labour issues.
But the most important element of the visit was not any of the many agreements but the obvious goodwill between the two states, and their shared political intention to make their relationship closer. Both states share a desire to see a tolerant and peaceful world, which cannot happen by chance and needs action to make it happen, as was started this week by the two leaders.
