"India-UAE partnership one of most comprehensive partnerships India has with any of countries": Foreign Secretary Kwatra

Abu Dhabi [UAE], February 14: The partnership with the UAE is one of the most comprehensive partnerships India has with any country, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Wednesday in a special briefing on the PM's official two-day visit to the UAE.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held detailed delegation level and one-to-one talks, the Foreign Secretary said.

He further said that 10 MoU agreements were signed during PM Modi's official visit to the United Arab Emirates. The objective of the PM's visit, said the Foreign Secretary, is to strengthen ties between both nations.

"The leaders held detailed delegation level and one-to-one talks which covered the entire gamut of bilateral engagement between India and the UAE as well as the significant developments, regionally and globally," Kwatra said.

The two leaders welcomed the deepening of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across sectors, including trade and investment, digital infrastructure, fintech, energy, infrastructure, culture and people to people ties. Discussions also covered regional and global issues.

The Foreign Secretary, in his briefing said that "if we look at the trajectory, spread and intensity of the cooperation in the last 10 years... if you look at the specifics, the evidence and what the two countries' leaders have done in the partnership, you will find this is perhaps one of the most comprehensive partnerships India has with any of the countries."

Kwatra said that the two leaders "also witnessed a transaction made using the Jeevan card and the Prime Minister congratulated the President with regard to the launch of UAE's domestic Jeevan card, which is another significant step in financial sector cooperation between India and the UAE...There were 10 MoU agreements that were signed."

Kwatra emphasised that the launch of the IIT Delhi Abu Dhabi campus signifies an entry into a very important area of education.

"You can take any segment of economic endeavour, and you will find there is an ongoing cooperation btween India and the UAE in that field...it has a very wide base. The launch of IIT Delhi Abu Dhabi does signifies an entry into a very important area of education and also what education does to people to people connectivity. What it also does to the entire sector of cooperation which has a tangent link to the innovation sector," the Foreign Secretary said.

Addressing the gathering at the 'Ahlan Modi' diaspora event in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, PM Modi highlighted the significant achievements in the education sector, stating that "more than 1.5 lakh Indian students are studying in UAE schools... The master's course was started at the IIT Delhi campus here last month and a new CBSE office will be opened soon in Dubai. These institutions will be helpful in providing the best education to the Indian community here."

The PM interacted with the first batch of students from the IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi Campus and appreciated the project for bringing the students of two countries together. PM Modi said that this not only begins a new chapter in bilateral collaboration between India and the UAE, but also brings the youth from the two countries together.

The opening of a campus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in the UAE was envisioned by the leadership of India and the UAE in February 2022.

"The project is a joint collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) and the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) and aims to provide quality higher education opportunities to students globally," the MEA statement read. It would also foster partnerships between the two countries in the fields of next generation technology, research and innovation.

Foreign Secretary Kwatra said, "In the evening, the Prime Minister addressed the Indian community at the 'Ahlan Modi' event hosted at the ZayedSportsStadium. More than 40,000 people attended this event, and in his address, the Prime Minister thanked the UAE President for his commitment to bilateral ties, for his support to the Indian community, and for the granting of land for building the BAPS Temple, whose inauguration we will be witnessing later this afternoon."