New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated the United Arab Emirates’ Hamdan bin Mohammed and Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday on becoming deputy prime ministers following a Cabinet reshuffle.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president and prime minister of the UAE, effected the reshuffle that saw Hamdan bin Mohammed being appointed as the deputy prime minister and defence minister.
“Congratulate @HamdanMohammed on his appointment as Deputy PM and Minister of Defence of the UAE,” Jaishankar said on X.
Zayed Al Nahyan retained his position as the foreign minister. He has also been appointed as the deputy prime minister.
“Congratulate @ABZayed for being appointed as the Deputy PM and FM of the UAE. Will continue working closely to further strengthen India-UAE ties,” Jaishankar said in another post on the microblogging platform.
In his role as the foreign minister, Zayed Al Nahyan has been playing a major role in boosting India-UAE ties.
The relationship between the two countries has witnessed a significant upswing in the last few years.
Following the landmark visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UAE in August 2015, the relations between the two countries were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Both countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in February 2022 and a Local Currency Settlement (LCS) System in July 2023 to promote the use of the Indian rupee and the AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham) for cross-border transactions.
The two countries are among each other’s top trading partners, with a bilateral trade of about USD 85 billion in 2022-23, according to official data.
The UAE was also among the top four investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments in 2022-23.
The about 35-lakh-strong and vibrant Indian community forms the largest expatriate group in the UAE.
The UAE was invited as a special invitee for the G20 summit during India’s presidency of the grouping.
In February 2023, the India-UAE-France (UFI) trilateral was formally launched.
With India’s active support, the UAE joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a dialogue partner in May 2023. The UAE also joined the BRICS as a member on January 1 with India’s support.
The India-UAE defence cooperation has been on an upswing in the last few years. The first India-UAE bilateral army exercise, “Desert Cyclone”, was held in Rajasthan in January.
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