India, UAE to elevate ties with strategic defence partnership

NEW DELHI: The rapidly expanding India-UAE relationship received another upgrade Monday with the two countries signing a letter of intent for a strategic defence partnership as PM Narendra Modi hosted President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for a visit that lasted little over three hours but yielded several important outcomes and announcements.These included four other agreements, including one for space collaboration, another for purchase of 0.5 million metric tonnes per annum of LNG by HPCL from ADNOC Gas over a period of 10 years and yet another letter of intent for development of the Dholera special investment region in Gujarat. There were several other announcements, including a decision to double bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032, establishment of a supercomputing cluster in India and development and deployment of large nuclear reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs) to boost civil nuclear cooperation.Not for the first time, Modi received Al Nahyan at the airport in a special gesture that, in the words of foreign secretary Vikram Misri, was characteristic of the extremely warm and close relationship that the two leaders shared. “Went to the airport to welcome my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. His visit illustrates the importance he attaches to a strong India-UAE friendship. Looking forward to our discussions,” said Modi in a post on X.The defence letter of intent is expected to establish a Strategic Defence Partnership Framework Agreement and expand defence cooperation across a number of areas, including “defence industrial collaboration, defence innovation and advanced technology, training, education and doctrine, special operations and interoperability, cyber space, counterterrorism”. It comes at a time the UAE has been looking to reduce its reliance on traditional Western suppliers under a diversification strategy and an intent to preserve its strategic autonomy.Talking about defence cooperation, the two leaders highlighted a deep respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the importance of strategic autonomy, according to a joint statement.”They acknowledged steady and strong bilateral defence and security cooperation as a core pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They welcomed the momentum generated by the recent exchange of visits by the respective service chiefs and commanders of the army, navy and air force of both countries, and the successful conduct of bilateral military exercises,” said the joint statement. The foreign secretary said the defence agreement was a natural evolution from the already considerable defence cooperation between the two countries and not necessarily a response to any specific event that may have taken place in the region.The leaders also reiterated their “unequivocal condemnation” of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and emphasised that no country should provide safe haven to those who finance, plan, support or commit terrorist acts. Al Nahyan was visiting India weeks after his visit to Pakistan late last year.Modi and Al Nahyan discussed the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) initiative, reaffirming their commitment to the project which, as they agreed in the joint statement, would be of great strategic importance and would significantly enhance the flow of commerce and energy between India, the Middle East and Europe. While there was no mention of Gaza in the joint statement, Misri said both leaders discussed the situation there in the meeting along with other regional and global issues.Both sides also announced setting up of offices and operations of UAE companies – First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) and DP World – in the GIFT City in Gujarat. The leaders also agreed to explore the possibility of setting up Digital Embassies under mutually recognised sovereignty arrangements. According to the joint statement, the partnership for Dholera special investment region would include the development of key strategic infrastructure, including an international airport, a pilot training school, a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility, a greenfield port, a smart urban township, railway connectivity and energy infrastructure.