India, UAE hold joint commission meeting on trade, discuss regional, international developments

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Monday co-chaired the 13th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation along with Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs in which the two sides reviewed the continuing growth of their cooperation.

Jaishankar said after the virtual meeting that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries is growing by the day.

He said the two sides reviewed the continuing growth of their broad-based cooperation.

"Their content and expanse are a testimony to our new era of relations," he said in a tweet.

"Encouraged by our close collaboration in dealing with health, trade and travel challenges due to COVID-19. Discussed major regional and international developments. Our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership grows by the day," he said in another tweet.

In his remarks during the meeting, Jaishankar thanked UAE for the understanding shown by it in regards to developments in Orgsation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

"I thank you for understanding you've shown in regard to developments in OIC (Orgsation of Islamic Cooperation) that sometimes impinges on our interest and it's important that it should not become a platform that is negative vis-a-vis India," he said.

He also thanked the UAE for taking care of Indian national during the coronavirus pandemic.

"I express my thanks on behalf of the government and the country for the enormous care that UAE (United Arab Emirates) has taken of Indian nationals during the COVID19 pandemic," Jaishankar said.

"I am very happy that we continue to consult and talk to each other regularly on regional and global developments. I thank you for your call last Friday, sharing with me your thinking about full normalisation of your relations with Israel," he added.

An External Affairs Ministry release said that on August 13, Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) was also held virtually between Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Secretary (Consular, Passport and Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) and Abdul Nasser Al Shaali, Assistant Minister of Economic and Trade Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates.

In preparation for the JCM and SOM, virtual meetings of the members of the five Sub-Committees from India and the UAE on Overview and High-level exchanges - economic, trade and investment cooperation, consular and community affairs cooperation, defence and security cooperation and education, culture and youth cooperation were held on August 10 and 11.

The release said that wide-ranging discussions were held in "a friendly, frank and constructive atmosphere, reflecting the strong bilateral ties between the two strategic partners".

Noting the close political relations between the two countries, both sides expressed satisfaction over the sustenance of momentum in the bilateral relations in various areas for mutual benefit under the aegis of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

"They agreed to strengthen cooperation in ongoing areas and also to explore cooperation in newer areas reflecting the changing times. In this context, both sides welcomed the close cooperation during the last few months in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and discussed a joint strategy to offset the economic and social impact of the pandemic on both countries," it said.

Both ministers noted with satisfaction the progress on institutional mechsms which continue to guide and promote the multifaceted bilateral cooperation through an extensive framework of agreements.

" Both sides also discussed the regional issues pertaining to their neighbourhood and cooperation at the United Nations and other multilateral fora.

The Indian side invited further investments from UAE in key sectors of the Indian economy such as infrastructure including logistics, food parks, highways, ports, airports, renewable energy and defence.

"The UAE side conveyed appreciation for the significant contributions made by the Indian expatriate community and expressed its willingness to further strengthen links in energy and food security," the release said

Both sides agreed to hold the next Session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting in Abu Dhabi in 2021.

The specific dates of the meeting will be finalised by both sides through diplomatic channels.

( With inputs from ANI )