India-UAE relations are grounded in bonds of friendship forged due to age-old religious, economic and cultural ties between both the countries. The relationship flourished in 1966, after the accession of H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. The UAE Federation was created in 1971, the UAE Embassy opened in India in 1972 and the Indian Embassy opened in UAE in 1973. Thus, diplomatic relations were established that have been subsequently sustained via high-level ministerial visits on both sides.
Political relations were boosted with the historic visit of PM Modi to UAE in August 2015. The Joint Statement issued after this visit highlighted the start of a new comprehensive and strategic partnership, with an agreement to consolidate achievements in existing domains as well as explore new avenues of cooperation. In February 2016, H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, visited India for wide-ranging discussions on regional, bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest and signed MoUs related to: (i) facilitation of Institutional Investors in Infrastructure, (ii) Cooperation in Renewable Energy, (iii) Cooperation in Combating Cyber-Crimes, (iv) Cultural Exchange, (v) Space, (vi) Skill Development, (vii) Insurance and (viii) Currency swaps.
India is the largest trading partner for the UAE while the latter is the former’s third largest trading partner, after China and the US. Their bilateral trade is valued at roughly $50 billion. In 2016-17, at 30 billion USD, UAE was the second largest export destination for India. Major Indian export items include minerals, food (fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, tea), textiles (cotton, yarn, synthetic fibre), machinery, while imports include petroleum products, precious metals/stones/gems, jewellery and wood. UAE is the sixth largest source of Indian oil imports.
UAE’s FDI is the tenth largest in India, concentrated in sectors like services, construction, power, air transport and hotel and tourism. UAE is home to 3.3 million Indians, the largest expatriate community in the UAE. These include the business community, professional qualified personnel, white-collar non-professionals and blue-collar workers. The Indian community has significantly contributed to the economic development in UAE.
To cater to the large chunk of blue-collar Indian workers, grievance-redressal mechanisms have been developed. Moreover, a comprehensive online NRI registration system and an online portal called E-migrate allows Indian residents to register their details and get recruited respectively. An Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) provides short-term economic assistance (food, shelter, passage expenses) to destitute workers/housemaids in distress. The Indian Workers Resource Centre (IWRC) has a 24- hour helpline operating in Dubai since November 2010. Another IWRC was opened in Sharjah in September 2017. The embassy and consulate officers regularly visit jails and labor camps to ensure regular communication with the Indian community.
In this context, the 12th session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting for Economic and Technical Cooperation is a landmark in India-UAE relations. Two significant deals were signed between External Affairs Minister Sushma SwaraJ and her counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin ZayedAl Nahyan. The MoU titled, Development Cooperation in Africa, will entail collaborations to launch joint aid projects in Africa, based on Indian expertise and UAE’s funding and goodwill, starting with the establishment of an IT Centre of Excellence in Ethiopia. UAE had played a crucial role in brokering peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea. India has a similar deal with another “third country” i.e. Japan, for partnerships in Africa.
The second deal refers to the currency swap agreement to reduce exchange rate risks and transmission costs. Both countries will be able to import and export trade in their own currencies at a pre-determined exchange rate, without the introduction of the third-party US dollar.
In addition to this, the inauguration of a Gandhi-Zayed Digital Museum in Abu Dhabi marks 150 years of Gandhi’s birth and 100 years of Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the modern UAE. Through interactive digital content and cutting-edge technologies, the museum will showcase rare phots, videos and memorabilia from the lives and works of the two leaders, thereby reaffirming the historically shared philosophies and values of peace, tolerance and sustainability. This museum will be open for a week and then will be reopened in March 2019.
Swaraj has requested the UAE to not grant work permits to Indian women workers who have migrated to UAE on tourist visas in order to curb the exploitations of illegal agents and employers. Instead, she has urged these workers to travel through legal channels for employment. She hailed the members of the Indian community as permanent Indian ambassadors to the UAE.
The UAE’s National Advisor Bureau Limited has suggested the possibility of connecting Mumbai and Fujairah via an underwater rail network. Ultra-speed floating trains are a futuristic mode of transport that could help boost bilateral trade via exchange of goods and oil, import of excess water from Narmada River etc.
This is just another example of a roadmap for the future with possible avenues of collaboration being formulated between India and UAE to consolidate the unprecedented heights that bilateral ties have achieved in the last few years.
India Outbound
December 7, 2018
source https://indiaoutbound.org/india-uae-relationship/
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