India-UAE talks focus on economic recovery post COVID-19

The Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held productive interaction with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with talks focused on the bilateral relations and economic recovery post COVID-19. Jaishankar’s visit to the United Arab Emirates comes amid evolving geo-political developments in the region, particularly in Afghanistan.

“Another productive interaction with FM @ABZayed on our bilateral cooperation. Took forward our ongoing discussions on this subject, starting in February. The strong focus on post-COVID economic recovery will remain a priority for us,” he said in a tweet late on Sunday.

The two leaders, according to UAE’s official WAM news agency, discussed ways to develop  and enhance bilateral cooperation in all domains, in a way that will fulfil the aspirations of the leadership of India and the UAE and benefit their peoples. Emphasizing on the historic ties between the two nations, Sheikh Abdullah said that UAE-India strategic partnership contributes to creating more opportunities for growth in commercial, economic, cultural and other fields.

They also deliberated that latest COVID-19 developments, the two countries’ efforts to contain its repercussions, and the global efforts to provide vaccines to all countries. Sheikh Abdullah also praised the cooperation between the two countries to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, there are also reports, as per Al Jazeera, that the Gulf state is mediating between India and Pakistan to help the nuclear-armed rivals reach a “healthy and functional relationship”. The report highlights that Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba said in a virtual discussion with Standford University’s Hoover Institution, on Wednesday, that the UAE played a role “in bringing Kashmir escalation down and created a ceasefire, hopefully ultimately leading to restoring diplomats and getting the relationship back to a healthy level.”

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India and Pakistan’s armies, in February 2021, had announced a sudden and rare reaffirmation of a 2003 ceasefire agreement along the LoC, the defacto border dividing the Kashmir region between the two nations.