Sheikh Mohamed’s visit to India 'Unique and Important': IndiaSTRATEGIC

ABU DHABI,16th February, 2016 (WAM) -- On the occasion of the official visit to India by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, IndiaSTRATEGIC, India's authoritative journal on Defence, Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, Aerospace and Nuclear Energy, called the visit "unique and important", emphasising the mutual benefits to be gained by adding momentum to the comprehensive strategic partnership that exists between India and the UAE. The following report was published during the three-day visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. By Gulshan Luthra & Vinay Kumar for IndiaSTRATEGIC "His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, arrived here on February 10th to a very warm welcome by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ministers and top military officials. Mr Modi broke protocol to receive Sheikh Mohamed whom he described as a special friend and a visionary leader whose visit "will add new vigour and momentum to the comprehensive strategic partnership between India and the UAE". The next day, on February 11th, the visiting dignitary was accorded the welcome of a state visit, and a ceremonial Guard of Honour was presented to him on the forecourt of the Presidential Palace (Rashtrapati Bhawan), followed by a private lunch by President Pranab Mukherjee. Notably, Sheikh Mohamed, who had received Mr Modi with similar warmth when he visited Abu Dhabi in August, 2015, responded in equal measure and expressed thanks to him and India, saying, "The two sides share a common interest in converting mutual relations to a strategic partnership in various fields. I can only express my overwhelming happiness to be present in the land of this friendly country of such a great civilisation, one which has significantly contributed to the edification of human civilisation." Sheikh Mohamed, who is on a three-day state visit at the invitation of Mr Modi, is accompanied by a high level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business from the UAE. He has in fact been to India three times on earlier occasions since 1995, but this is the first time he is being accorded the highest status as a Head of State in protocol. H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said in a statement that deep historical ties bind the two countries and that "the UAE and India now have a solid platform from which to elevate their relationship to the next level." Briefing newsmen before Sheikh Mohamed's arrival, top Indian officials described the visit as "unique and very important," pointing out that the leadership in the two countries shared a common vision for global and regional peace and stability. It may be noted that in May 1981, when the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi visited the UAE at the invitation of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohamed’s father, the Joint Statement noted that the security and stability of the Indian subcontinent and the Gulf region are interlinked. And peace in one region is important for peace and stability in the other. This position has been reiterated over the years by both the countries, including in 1992 when President Sheikh Zayed came here at the invitation of President R Venkatraman, and in 2003 when Sheikh Mohamed visited New Delhi at the invitation of the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and signed an agreement for strategic cooperation. "This visit marks excellent rapport between the leadership of the two countries and comes within months of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE in August 2015 which was the first by an Indian Prime Minister in the last 34 years," said Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs. During Modi’s visit, the two sides had agreed to take bilateral relations forward and elevate them to a comprehensive strategic partnership. "They will have an opportunity again now to follow with their discussions and hold delegation level talks," he said. Describing the UAE as an important trading and business partner of India, particularly for fulfilling nearly 10 percent of India’s energy needs, Wadhwa said that the UAE was the sixth largest source for supply of crude oil to India. "Relations between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi had always been friendly and steady in all aspects, and India remained an attractive destination for investment from the UAE which is also the third largest global trading partner of India after the US and China with bilateral trade touching US$ 60 billion in 2014- 15," said Wadha. "Also, nearly 2.6 million Indians live in the UAE of which 60 percent are engaged in blue collar jobs and 20 percent are professionals. There are also 50 Indian schools in the UAE," he added. Though Mr Wadhwa declined to disclose the number of pacts to be signed between India and the UAE during the visit of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, it is likely that several agreements ranging from nuclear energy, oil, IT, cyber security, counter-terrorism and security, railways and aerospace are likely to be signed. "There are negotiations still going on to give a final shape to some of the agreements and MoUs," he said. The high-level UAE delegation also visited Mumbai on February 12th and met Indian business leaders there. A visit to Mumbai stock exchange is on the cards and many UAE businessmen are likely to stay back in India for talks with their Indian counterparts. Interestingly, India has offered to lend its expertise in aerospace to the UAE and ISRO is willing to cooperate in UAE’s ambitious plan of launching its Mars mission by 2021. ISRO has many firsts to its credit and its costs in launching satellites is less than half of what the western countries spend on similar missions. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on the visiting dignitary soon after his arrival. Wadhwa said that the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister were likely to discuss ways to contain radicalism and stepping up counterterrorism cooperation, particularly in the wake of the threat posed by terror outfits like Daesh. "Both sides have a robust mechanism already on intelligence sharing and capacity building as well as in the defence sector for the manufacture of equipment," he added. India and the UAE have historically enjoyed close and friendly relations anchored on mutually beneficial commercial exchanges and extensive people-to-people contacts. The UAE is among the largest investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments. The UAE-India Infrastructure Investment Fund aims to reach a target of US$ 75 billion to support investment in India’s plans for expansion of next generation infrastructure, especially in railways, ports, roads, airports and industrial corridors and parks. The aim is to expanding bilateral trade by 60 percent in the next five years. India has vital stakes in the security and stability of the Gulf region, which hosts over seven million Indians. This region is also the source of nearly two thirds of India’s crude oil requirements and is India’s largest trading partner. Apart from investment by Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, ADIA, a number of private investors from the UAE are also looking at India as a destination for investment. The joint statement of August 2015 had noted that an extensive framework of agreements, including economic, defence, security, law enforcement, cultural, consular and people-to-people contacts formed a solid bedrock for elevating bilateral cooperation across the full spectrum of India-UAE relationship. During Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Abu Dhabi last August, both he and Sheikh Mohamed had agreed to chart a new course in their partnership for the 21st century. The two leaders had agreed to coordinate efforts to counter radicalisation and misuse of religion by groups and countries for inciting hatred, perpetrating and justifying terrorism or pursuing political aims. In their Joint Statement, they did not name any country but categorically expressed their opposition to terrorism in all forms and manifestations, wherever committed and by whomsoever, calling on all states to reject and abandon the use of terrorism against other countries, dismantle terrorism infrastructures where they exist, and bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice. Another notable feature of the Joint Statement was the decision to work together to control, regulate and share information on flow of funds that could have a bearing on radicalisation activities and cooperate in interdicting illegal flows and take action against concerned individuals and organisations. They had also agreed to strengthen defence relations, including regular exercises and training of naval, air, land and Special Forces, coastal defence and cooperation in the manufacturing of defence equipment in India. In fact, the UAE has very good capacity in building small naval vessels and the Indian Navy has purchased three Immediate Support Vessels (ISVs) from UAE’s Abu Dhabi Ship Builders (ADSB), which were inducted at a formal ceremony in Visakhapatnam on March 24th last year. India’s private sector Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) also has a tie-up with some UAE companies for defence production. The UAE has built one of the world’s biggest strategic oil reserve facilities, and its expertise and experience could be shared by India." – Emirates News Agency, WAM -http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395291626049.html