Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, who also serves as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE. During their meeting, Prime Minister Modi recalled his visit to the UAE the previous year, where he was the Guest of Honour at the World Government Summit in Dubai. He extended warm regards to UAE President His Highness Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vice President His Highness Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
PM Modi emphasized the significance of his visit as a testament to the strong and historic ties between India and the UAE, underscoring their partnership’s foundation of mutual trust and a shared vision. The leaders discussed strategies to further enhance the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, focusing on trade, investments, defence, energy, technology, education, sports, and people-to-people connections. The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to UAE leadership for their care of approximately 4.3 million Indians residing there, acknowledging their crucial role in fostering vibrant bilateral relations.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in New Delhi, where both leaders expressed satisfaction with the existing defence cooperation facilitated by institutional arrangements, military exercises, and training program exchanges. They recognized the need to enhance defence collaboration to keep pace with advancements in trade and business, reflecting the shared vision of both nations’ leaders. The ministers identified training exchanges as a pivotal area of defence cooperation, which would promote mutual understanding of each other’s defence systems and bolster bilateral defence relationships, in alignment with the goals set forth by Prime Minister Modi and President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The two leaders expressed contentment with the ongoing Coast Guard-to-Coast Guard cooperation and committed to formalizing this collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). They stressed the importance of close collaboration between their defense industries as a key aspect of bilateral relations. Discussions included enhancing partnerships in defense manufacturing and boosting defense industry collaboration.
Both Ministers acknowledged the active involvement from each side in their respective exhibitions and defense expos. They welcomed the establishment of the India-UAE Defence Partnership Forum, which holds the potential for strategic joint ventures and co-production projects beneficial to both countries. There was also a mutual agreement to focus on complementary aspects of the Make-in-India and Make-in-Emirates initiatives.
In a post on X following their meeting, the Defence Minister highlighted the significance of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the UAE for India, stating the desire to intensify cooperation in defense, co-production, co-development projects, innovation, and technology in the coming years. He emphasized that both nations are dedicated to working towards regional peace and prosperity.
The foundational Defence Cooperation MoU between India and the UAE was established in 2003, followed by an MoU on Defence Industry Cooperation in 2017. The relationship between India and the UAE is built on strong bonds of friendship, enriched by centuries-old cultural and economic connections. The renewed focus on defense collaboration signifies a substantial step forward in strengthening their partnership, addressing shared security challenges, and enhancing defense capabilities through joint efforts.
