India, UAE sign strategic accord

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday signed 14 agreements in various areas including defence, maritime transport, energy, and other sectors. The two countries also signing a pact on comprehensive strategic partnership, even as the visiting Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan called for India’s role to push for peace and stability in Asia and West Asia.

Since coming to power over two-and-a-half years ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his diplomatic team have focused on better relations with the Gulf nations as well as Iran, which becomes significant in view of growing unease 

in India and Pakistan relations. Weaning away the UAE — Pakistan’s largest trade partner and its biggest source of investment — is a sort of a diplomatic coup for Modi.

Last year, Pakistan’s refusal to send its military to aid the Gulf Arab nations against Iran-backed Yemen rebels had evoked a sharp and caustic response from the UAE’s Foreign Minister.

At a joint press interaction after restricted and delegation-level talks, journalists were shocked when there was no interpreter to translate the Crown Prince’s statement in Arabic.

Sheikh Mohammed, who arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and captains of industry, will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade today.

Among the agreements signed on Wednesday included leasing part of the strategic storage to Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). Under such a deal, India will have first rights to the stored crude in case of an emergency, while ADNOC will be able to move cargoes to meet any shift in demand. The UAE contributes significantly to India’s energy security and was the fifth largest supplier of crude oil to India in 2015-16.

The agreements signed didn’t mention the much-anticipated $75 billion (Rs 5 lakh crore) investment fund, committed by the UAE during Modi’s visit to Abu Dhabi in August 2015. “We have shaped an ambitious road map of engagement to make our comprehensive strategic partnership purposeful and action oriented. The agreement that was exchanged just now has institutionalised this understanding,” Modi said at the Hyderabad House, after leading Indian delegation to talks.

In India’s battle against terrorism and radicalism, intelligence sharing and cooperation from the UAE are crucial.

Last year, three Indian sympathisers of ISIS, who were allegedly on a mission to carry out a terror attack in India and some other countries, were deported from the UAE.

Sources said that India had successfully sensitised the UAE authorities to put curbs on activities of gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his group. It is believed that India had been asking for seizing gangster’s properties in the Gulf country, but diplomatic sources here choose to remain quiet on the progress of the request.

“We exchanged views on developments in West Asia and the Gulf, where both countries have a shared interest in peace and stability. We also discussed developments in our region, including Afghanistan. Our shared concern on growing threat from radicalism and terrorism to the safety and security of our people is shaping our cooperation in this space,” said Modi. 

The Crown Prince, a translation of whose speech was later made available by the Ministry of External Affairs, praised India’s unique model of coexistence. He said fostering relationship with India is a strategic choice for his country, under the leadership of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the UAE.

Holding that the UAE has the largest sovereign fund, secretary for economic relations in MEA Amar Sinha said defence and security has emerged as a new area of cooperation. He said both countries were looking on joint-manufacturing as well as purchase of defence equipment. 

The UAE was also looking for dependable partners who can actually provide them equipment without conditionality and who can also supply them when they need it the most, Sinha said.  He also said that both countries in its defence kitty have French made Rafael aircraft. “Those are the areas that we are trying to identify and work together,” said Sinha.