Crown Prince al Nahyan’s visit will boost ties
One of the key foreign policy successes of the Modi Government has been its outreach to the Gulf nations. Over the years, New Delhi has had formal cordiality with the countries in the region, but the warmth that is a hallmark of friendship, had been missing. This despite the fact that the oil-rich Gulf has been key to India's economic progress. Besides, more than seven million Indians live and work there, with a vast majority of them based in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait. In this context, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Shaikh Mohammed Bin Zayed al Nahyan's ongoing visit to India as chief guest for this year's Republic Day function, has more than a symbolic importance. As many as 13 or even more bilateral agreements are expected to be inked in the course of the foreign dignitary's trip. As the UAE envoy to India Ahmed Al Banna has said, trade relations between the two nations have jumped exponentially in the last two and half years. From just $128 million over three decades ago, it shot up to $50 billion for 2015-16. India is the UAE's leading trading partner, while the Gulf state ranks a good third as India's trading partner, after the US and China. Just a year ago, India and the UAE signed the Double Taxation Avoidance and Protection of Investment treaty. But, while economic cooperation is growing, what is even more significant is the coordination between the two states in tackling terrorism. Over the decades, the UAE has traditionally been close to Pakistan — one reason for this has been the lack of effort on the part of successive Governments in New Delhi to develop bonds with the Gulf. So, while Pakistan-based militants have been causing terrorism in India since long, there had been no strong words of condemnation from the UAE. However, with the new-found warmth, the UAE has been quick to not just condemn the terror attacks in India but also back India's response (it supported India's surgical strike inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the terror attack by Pakistan-based militants at an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu & Kashmir) late last year.
Both India and the UAE are working closely to explore larger areas of cooperation in military and counter-terrorism sectors. This includes joint exercises, training of personnel and exchange of information on terrorism and related areas such as radicalisation etc. Both the UAE and India also have shared concerns over Pakistan's role in fomenting trouble in Afghanistan. While terrorist groups operating from Pakistan have been routinely targeting Indian assets in Afghanistan (besides, of course, those of the Afghan regime), the UAE too has been at the receiving end. In the recent attack in Kandahar, said to be have been masterminded by the Haqqani network, four UAE diplomats lost their lives. Al Banna said, his country will take “revenge” once it has firmed up its mind on who the perpetrators were. Whatever, it's evident that they had Pakistan's blessing. The welcome level of engagement between India and the UAE was also on display last year when the UAE Government deported Indian sympathisers of the Islamic State. Earlier, the UAE had sent back to India a woman suspected of recruiting people for the same terrorist group. The upswing in ties is showing.