When India was celebrating Basant Panchmi on 14th February and the Western world was busy in the festivities of Valentine day. There was a celebration that signified the essence of both somewhere else. Basant Panchmi symbolises the celebration of wisdom and knowledge besides the onset of the pleasant season in India. When there is the emergence of new life in the flora and fauna in India. And rightly this day is dedicated to the Goddess of wisdom and knowledge-Saraswati. On the other hand Valentine Day signifies the love and friendship. Synergy of both was witnessed in full bloom in the Arabian Peninsula where India and United Arab Emirates(UAE) was entering into a new era of friendship. President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE),His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modi met in Abu Dhabi on 13th February to give enough reason to the people of both countries to celebrate on 14th February. This was the 7th visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to UAE in the last nine years. The two leaders have nurtured the Indo-UAE relationship with conviction and trust and it is evident in the bilateral agreements that have been inked. Leading to the signing of the multiple pacts that are comprehensive in nature. These pacts involve the areas that have a tremendous bearing on the development of ties keeping in view the present and future of both the nations. These include the following:
I. Bilateral Investment Treaty
II. Inter-Governmental Framework Agreement on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC)
III. Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation on Digital Infrastructure Projects
IV. Memorandum of Understanding in the field of Electricity Interconnection and Trade.
V. Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation with the National Maritime Heritage Complex, Lothal at Gujarat.
VI. Cooperation Protocol between the National Library and Archives of the UAE and the National Archives of India.
VII. Agreement on interlinking of the instant payment platforms – UPI (India) and AANI (UAE).
VIII. Agreement on inter-linking domestic debit/credit cards – RuPay (India) with JAYWAN (UAE).
When these pacts are closely analysed then it is clear that from nurturing the bilateral relations to financial transactions all areas have been covered. It is a multipronged approach that the two nations have adopted to establish the relations with firm foundations. The policy is well planned to address the energy related issues and the economic challenges. Besides it addresses the technological necessities as well. The aim being to indulge in hand holding and to benefit the people to the maximum possible way. To garner support for the people to people contacts the two leaders have laid focus on heritage and culture as well. It will enable people of India and UAE to create cross –cultural exchanges. India-UAE boost in bilateral relations must be seen in the broader strategic sense. The emerging world order is shaping a new geo-political calculus and both the countries are defining its thrust. It must be underlined that in the previous regimes in India the parameters that defined the relations with the Aran nations were based on the anti-imperialism and anti –Zionism .It evoked little interest in the Arabian peninsula nations. The creation of I2U2 groups in 2022 that includes India, Israel, US and UAE besides the India –Middle East –Europe Economic Corridor announced on the margins of the G20 summit reveal the visible shift in the India’s policy imperative towards the Middle East. India has come a long way as far as its foreign policy towards the Arab nations is concerned. It was a political tradition in India to define the relations with Arab nations through the Pakistan prism. There was a concern in Indian strategic community regarding the Saudi patronage of radicalism through Pakistan to destabilise Jammu and Kashmir by funding the mercenaries. By engaging at the personal level Prime Minister Modi has succeeded in mitigating this interference. The reason being Modi’s global stature and his capacity to forge personal rapport with the UAE leader. Another important feature of this new engagement is the transaction in the economic domain. India’s economic rise and Gulf’s emergence as the centre of global capitalism is the major motivation for this synergy. Inter-Governmental Framework Agreement on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) is the major area and take away of this new India-UAE co-operation .It must be seen as a kind of response by India to alter the China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) to create an economic corridor to strangulate India in particular and Asia in general by imposing its new imperialism. The recent terrorist violence instigated by the Houthis too seems to have been kept in view to safeguard the business interests of the nations that ferry their vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. This India-UAE bonhomie will surely lead to emergence of a new geostrategic model .Hope it sustains and evolves a new model of economic and human prosperity for the two nations.
