Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed reviewed bilateral relations, including energy cooperation, and called for continued free and unhindered navigation and trade through the Strait of Hormuz during a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France on Tuesday.
Modi also held a bilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and discussed the steps being taken to implement the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CEPA) that the two sides signed in July last year, as well as cooperation in areas such as defence, technology and green energy. The free trade agreement has not yet been ratified by the British Parliament.
Following the meeting with the UAE President, Modi said on social media that the two sides “discussed India-UAE relations across sectors and ways to further revitalize our comprehensive strategic partnership.” Modi thanked Mohammed bin Zayed and the UAE government for taking care of the Indian community, which numbers more than four million in the UAE.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said the two leaders exchanged views on “peace, security and stability in the West Asia region.” A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the discussions included cooperation in the fields of technology, trade, investment, energy and defence.
The statement said Modi stressed “the importance of dialogue, diplomacy, respect for international law, sovereignty and territorial integrity in promoting lasting peace, security and stability” in West Asia. The statement added that the two sides called for the continuation of free, safe and unhindered navigation and trade through the Strait of Hormuz.
After his meeting with Starmer, Modi said on social media that the past year has been “excellent” for India-UK relations, with the trade deal opening up many areas of economic cooperation. “Today’s talks focused on how to add more momentum to India-UK relations,” he said, adding that the two sides focused on areas such as innovation, artificial intelligence and skill development.
The talks between Modi and Starmer covered cooperation under all pillars of Vision 2035, including trade and economic growth, defense and security, climate action and green energy, technology and innovation, education and people-to-people relations.
“The leaders look forward to the early entry into force of the comprehensive economic and trade agreement,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Modi welcomed the progress made under the bilateral Technology Security Initiative, including the recent launch of the Global Observatory for the Global Supply Chain of Critical Minerals between India and the UK.
Modi and Starmer also discussed regional and global developments, including the situation in West Asia and Ukraine.
