Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE has multiple resonances for the bilateral synergy between the two countries that occupy the top rungs of trade partnerships with each other — India is the UAE’s second largest trading partner and the UAE is India’s third largest trade partner. The joint statement referred to the “transformative economic partnership” the two countries have entered into, which is an accurate way to describe their current, combined narrative.
The economic panacea for India at the moment is the free flow of foreign capital that will help it improve and expand its infrastructure, a shot in the arm it needs in order to keep its growth sustainable. For the UAE, with its unwavering commitment to innovation, development and excellence, partnering with India in vital sectors such as military equipment, space technology and nuclear energy is to be on the right trajectory.
But this new journey of contributions to each other’s progress is not charted by economic fundamentals alone. A host of other issues of mutual concern, such as law enforcement, culture, consular matters and expatriate concerns have a strong role to play in taking them forward, owing to the many factors that have historically linked them — proximity, cultural affinity, trade and strong links between peoples.
Another defining feature of Modi’s visit to the UAE was the reiteration by both countries of their commitment to peace and their outright rejection of any form of terrorism.
However, the most vital aspect of Modi’s visit, the first for an Indian prime minister in three decades, described by Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs as “historic by all standards,” was to bring contemporaneity to a historic relationship. This was long overdue for India and the UAE, because keeping bilateral ties fresh and constantly nurtured is the winning strategy in the current geopolitical climate. And given the dynamism of the two countries, the blending of contemporary and the historic will now be the way forward for them as they create a shared story of success and goodwill.
