Dubai: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived here on Wednesday on a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates during which he would hold talks with his counterpart from the Gulf nation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and review the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
“EAM @DrSJaishankar arrives in the UAE! Received by HE Abdulla Mohammed Al Balooki, Asst. Undersecretary @MoFAICUAE, at Dubai, along with Amb @sunjaysudhir & Dr. Aman Puri @cgidubai,” the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi tweeted.
On Wednesday, Jaishankar visited the site of the under-construction Hindu temple – the first in Abu Dhabi – and described it as “a symbol of peace, tolerance and harmony.”
On Ganesh Chaturthi, blessed to visit the @BAPS Hindu temple under construction in Abu Dhabi. Glad to see the rapid progress and deeply appreciate the devotion of all involved. Met the BAPS team, community supporters and devotees and workers at the site, the minister tweeted.
He also met Sheikh Nahyan bin Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Co-existence, and appreciated his strong support for the Indian community, yoga activities, cricket and cultural cooperation.
India, UAE Closer than ever! EAM @DrSJaishankar called on HH Shk Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan @uaetolerance in Abu Dhabi. Hailed the UAE’s committment to building a harmonious & cohesive community. Extended thanks for the care and welfare of the Indian diaspora in the UAE, the Indian Embassy in the UAE tweeted.
“Auspicious beginning to the visit of EAM @DrSJaishankar. EAM visited the @BAPS @AbuDhabiMandir site and laid a brick in its intricate architecture. Also hailed the efforts of all Indians in building the iconic Temple, a symbol of peace, tolerance and harmony,” it said in a tweet earlier.
The temple will come up on 55,000 square metres of land. The structure will be hand-carved by Indian temple artisans and assembled in the UAE. It will be the first traditional Hindu stone temple in the Middle East.
During his stay in the UAE, Jaishankar will carry out the review with his counterpart Sheikh Abdullah during the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) and third India-UAE Strategic Dialogue.
On Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that these meetings will provide an opportunity to both the ministers to review the entire spectrum of comprehensive strategic partnership between India and UAE and regional and global developments.
During the visit, Jaishankar will also meet other dignitaries of the UAE.
There has been a regular exchange of high-level interaction between India and the UAE this year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Abu Dhabi on June 28 and met UAE’s newly-appointed President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen and diversify the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Earlier, both leaders had also held a virtual summit on February 18 during which India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed and a vision statement was adopted.
Both leaders also participated in the I2U2 summit held virtually on July 14. US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid also attended the summit.
The new grouping is known as ‘I2U2’ with ‘I’ standing for India and Israel and ‘U’ for the US and UAE.
“Both India and UAE are committed to moving forward in their partnership in diverse areas, including trade, investment, conventional and renewable energy, food security, health, skill development, education, culture, defence, space, consular issues and people-to-people ties,” the MEA said in a statement.
Bilateral trade in FY 2021-22 was about USD 72 billion. UAE is India’s third largest trade partner and second largest export destination. UAE FDI in India has continuously increased over the past few years and currently stands at over USD 12 billion.
The Indian expatriate community is the largest ethnic community in the UAE constituting roughly about 35 per cent of the country’s population.
The UAE is the third-largest export destination of India (after the US and China) with an amount of nearly USD 16 billion for the year 2020-21.
For the UAE, India is the third-largest trading partner for the year 2020 with an amount of around USD 27.93 billion (non-oil trade).
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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