New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Monday hailed India and UAE ties and said that the two countries can use this relationship to "shape a changing world".
In his speech at India Global Forum in UAE, Jaishankar said, "India and UAE are two countries very comfortable, who have known each other for a long time and who want to use this relationship today in a changing world, not just to survive in a changing world, but to shape a changing world".
"It is in many ways a very ambitious relationship because it's not limited really by its bilateral possibilities. I am very confident that as we get deeper into the relationship, it will also make itself felt at the global level", Jaishankar added.
He noted that both countries were able to conclude the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement so quickly that it led to effective results thereafter, and the same speaks volumes about the relationship. "We are now moving into new areas," Jaishankar said.
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Both sides have also had discussions on space, education, artificial intelligence, health and startups. The External Affairs Minister underlined that the old, traditional energy trade investments continue, but a new agenda is also coming into being.
Jaishankar in his address at the event underscored the India-UAE trade ties and pointed out that the UAE is today India's 3rd largest trade partner. "It is our 2nd largest export market. More Indian citizens live in UAE than in any other country abroad. So whether we are talking people, or whether we are talking business, UAE has a particular salience in our perspectives", EAM stated.
He reiterated that after PM Modi's visit in 2015, a visit which took place after more than four decades, "we have actually seen a veritable transformation in our ties". "As I pointed out, certainly our trade and investment have gone up," he said.
"If we were to speak about the return of history in this part of the world, a very natural example of that is the India-UAE relationship. There're times when we may occasionally have a different perspective. Even that is often expressed quite subtly between us," he said. "When I look at the return of history and the relationships which will go forward in the coming days, I certainly would rank the India-UAE relationship very high in that".
