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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Abu Dhabi crown prince Al Nahyan to arrive on Wednesday
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Abu Dhabi crown prince Al Nahyan to arrive on Wednesday

Three-day trip starting on 10 February follows visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to UAE in August

Photo: PTIPremium
Photo: PTI

General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), arrives on his maiden visit to India this week amid growing economic and security ties between the two nations.

The trip follows the visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UAE in August—the first by an Indian prime minister in three decades—during which the two sides upgraded ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership" with hefty security and economic content.

On the security side, India and the UAE agreed to regularize security dialogue between their national security advisers, strengthen maritime security in the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean region, and reinforce defence ties through regular exercises of naval, air, land and special forces.

The two countries also agreed to “coordinate efforts to counter radicalization and misuse of religion by groups and countries for inciting hatred, perpetrating and justifying terrorism or pursuing political aims". They denounced terrorism “in all forms and manifestations, wherever committed and by whomever, calling on all states to reject and abandon the use of terrorism against other countries, dismantle terrorism infrastructures where they exist, and bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice".

This came against the backdrop of the UAE last year signing up to be part of an international US-led coalition against the Islamic State terrorist organization. While India accuses Pakistan of sheltering anti-India Islamist militants, the UAE traditionally has been seen closer to Pakistan than India.

On the economic side, India said it would “encourage the investment institutions of UAE to raise their investments in India, including through the establishment of UAE-India Infrastructure Investment Fund, with the aim of reaching a target of $75 billion to support investment in India’s plans for rapid expansion of next generation infrastructure, especially in railways, ports, roads, airports and industrial corridors and parks", according to a joint statement released at the end of Modi’s visit.

On his three-day India visit, starting 10 February, Al Nahyan will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, senior officials and captains of industry, said a statement from India’s foreign ministry. The crown prince will be holding talks with President Pranab Mukherjee and Modi “on issues of mutual interest".

The visit comes as new tensions have emerged in the Gulf region, which hosts some 7 million expatriate Indians and is the source of nearly two-thirds of India’s crude oil requirements. Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia and its allies, including Bahrain and the UAE, are ranged against Shia-dominated Iran. India’s trade with the UAE alone amounts to $59 billion making it India’s third largest trading partner after the US and China. The UAE is among the largest investors in India, besides being the sixth largest supplier of crude oil to India in 2014-15.

Iran-Saudi Arabia tensions, the root cause of which is the rivalry between the two countries for regional domination, were restoked early last by the execution of a leading Shia cleric by Saudi Arabia. The ransacking of the Saudi embassy in Tehran in retaliation saw Riyadh cutting of diplomatic ties with Tehran, and some allies, such as the UAE, downgrading diplomatic relations. Others, like Bahrain, followed Saudi Arabia’s lead and severed diplomatic ties.

Meanwhile, India last week hosted Iranian deputy foreign minister Ebrahim Rahimpour in New Delhi for foreign office consultations in which regional connectivity to landlocked but resource-rich Central Asia, Afghanistan and beyond was a key theme. India also sees Iran as a key energy partner and is hoping to take advantage of the roll-back of sanctions imposed on the nation for its nuclear energy programme by expanding economic and energy links.

Modi has plans to visit Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iran in the future.

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Published: 08 Feb 2016, 07:42 AM IST
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