Modi’s visit to UAE and Qatar would assert India’s position in the region

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in UAE and Qatar earlier this week, underscoring the importance of the region in India’s growing interests in the geo-political strategic outcomes from Arabia. This land masses west of the India ocean, and, especially UAE hadn’t seen a visit by an Indian Prime Minister in more than three decades, till Narendra Modi decided to refocus. For nearly three decades before 2015, these nations on the other end of the Arabian Sea had been a distant place for Indian political leadership, occasionally grabbing domestic headlines for the wrong reasons, even though a sizeable chunk of the Indian diaspora was toiling away mostly in labour intensive jobs, sending precious hard foreign currency back to their villages in India. However, the importance of the region especially strategically important countries such as UAE as a key balancing power in West Asia was lost to the foreign policy makers of the time. The Indian prime minister’s seven official visits to the UAE in a decade and reciprocal visits by UAE president Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a similar timeline, underscore the seriousness both sides have attributed to nurturing, this relationship.

It was in August 2015 when PM Modi visited UAE on the invitation of then crown prince Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which was the foundation of this ever-greening relationship. The joint statement released, stated “The visit of an Indian Prime Minister to UAE after 34 years marks the beginning of a new and comprehensive strategic partnership between India and UAE in a world of multiple transitions and changing opportunities and challenges.”

 In recent decades, UAE's economic progress has been one of the global success stories, transforming the nation into a regional leader and a thriving international centre.

India's rapid growth, modernization, and skilled workforce position it as a key player in the global economy. The robust economic partnership between India and the UAE, upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2015, culminated in the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

This was one of the first CEPAs or bilateral trade agreements India entered with any country with significant economic clout, in decades and a statement released last year on the first anniversary of the CEPA implementation highlighted the positive impact it had on exports in labour-intensive sectors such as ’ Mineral Fuels; Electrical Machinery (particularly telephone equipment); Gems & Jewellery; Automobiles ; Essential Oils; Other Machinery; Cereals; Other Agri Products; and Chemical Products. The CEPA with UAE proved to be a template for a similar trade agreement India managed to sign with Australia in the same year.

However, another key element of the strategic partnership between India and UAE was the close cooperation on defence, security, and counter-terrorism measures outlined during the 2015 visit. The two sides had in 2015 pledged to” Coordinate efforts to counter radicalization and misuse of religion by groups and countries for inciting hatred, perpetrating and justifying terrorism or pursuing political aims. Denounce and oppose terrorism in all forms and manifestations, wherever committed and by whomever, 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. And Work together to control, regulate and share information on the flow of funds that could have a bearing on radicalization activities cooperate in interdicting illegal flows and take action against concerned organizations.

Prime minister’s visit this week which could be his last during his current tenure, signifies the importance of West Asia in India’s geo-political and geo-economic approach for the 21st Century.

(The writer is a policy analyst; views are personal)