Dr S. Jaishankar, India’s Minister for External Affairs, kicked off the second UAE edition of India Global Forum with an insightful keynote address setting out the geopolitical scene for the region and contextualising the role being played by India and the UAE as “Partners for Global Impact” – the theme of IGF UAE 2022.
He divided the key concepts that broadly divide the world today as:
• Globalisation and its impact on the world
• Rebalancing and the shifting weight of different nations and regions
• Multipolarity or a move away from seeing the world in binary terms of the past
“As globalisation gets deeper, there will be more rebalancing and greater multipolarity,” he explained.
On UAE-India bilateral relations, the External Affairs Minister noted that the historic ties have within it “centuries of comfort” with an often “intuitive” element. The UAE is India’s third largest trade partner and second largest export destination and as the country with more Indian citizens than anywhere else abroad, it counts as an important partner for India.
“Under Prime Minister Modi, there has been a veritable transformation in our ties; and this covers trade and investment going up, especially with CEPA [UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement], and we are also collaborating in areas such as space, education, AI, health and start-ups. So, the traditional ties continue but there are new areas coming up too,” said Dr Jaishankar.
He expressed confidence that the relationship will be redefined and taken into a higher orbit in the coming years, even as it is expanded to other international partners. He summed up the picture as two countries very comfortable in having known each other for a long time and rediscovering the relationship in the last two decades.
The Minister also congratulated India Global Forum for the role it plays in bringing such important partners together on a global stage.
Catch all the India Global Forum UAE – Partners for Global Impact action here.