Understanding India-UAE Diplomatic Relations
Since 3000 B.C, relations between India and the seven emirates which now make up the UAE were traditionally close, enjoying friendly ties based on historic and cultural ties. People-to-people contacts and barter trade for clothes and spices from India in exchange for dates and pearls from the region have existed for centuries. After the creation of the Federation in 1971, India-UAE relations flourished. A large Indian expatriate community resides and engages in the UAE in economically productive activities and has played a significant role in the evolution of the UAE.UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan honoured Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Zayed Medal, the UAE’s highest civil honour.
Strategic Relations: Bilateral Defence Interaction between India and UAE has been steadily growing. The UAE has deported more than 100 fugitives to India over the last few years. It also helped India with real-time intelligence from Iraq and Syria in the past. Emirati air force will refuel the Rafale fighter jets flying in from France. There have been regular high-level exchanges at the level of Service Chiefs, functional level exchanges and military education exchanges between the countries. India and UAE hold an Annual Defence Dialogue to discuss the security and defence cooperation issues between the two countries.
Commercial and Economic: UAE is India’s top trading partner in the entire West Asia North Africa (WANA) region, as it alone represents 75 per cent of India’s export to GCC nations. India has invited investments from the UAE in key sectors of the Indian economy such as infrastructure including logistics, food parks, highways, ports, airport. Indians also make up the largest ethnic group in the UAE making up roughly 27% of the total UAE’s residents. These economic migrants over the years have also made a significant economic contribution to India in the form of remittances worth billions of dollars On November 3rd 2020 India hosted the 8th meeting of the India-UAE High-Level Joint Task Force on Investments to facilitate bilateral investments in key sectors.
COVID related help: 2020 was an unprecedented year for both countries. In May 2020, UAE sent seven metric tonnes of medical supplies to India to bolster its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. India repatriated its 84,497 citizens from the UAE under the Vande Bharat Mission, the country’s biggest-ever repatriation exercise to bring back its citizens stranded abroad amidst the international travel lockdown over the pandemic. Indians who held any valid United Arab Emirates visa could travel to UAE as the Indian government eased travel restrictions in a phased manner as a part of the Indian government’s ‘Air bubble’ scheme, which was valid until August 31 2020. Recently, UAE was one of the countries to be provided with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
India-UAE ties are strengthening rapidly since 2012. Mutual cooperation has been fruitful for both countries. Both countries have a deep intent to further the ties to become economic powerhouses.
