External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar said on Monday that over the past decade, there has been a significant shift in how India is perceived in the UAE. This is evident in the strengthened trade and diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Jaishankar was addressing the South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce — Corporate Summit 2024 in Surat.
“In the last 10 years, the perception about India has changed in the UAE. They signed a free trade agreement with us and today the trade with the UAE has reached about 80 billion dollars,” Jaishankar said.
He pointed out that PM Modi’s visit to the UAE in 2016 was a significant development, as he became the first Indian Prime Minister to do so since the visit of Indira Gandhi.
Jaishankar highlighted the inauguration of the iconic BAPS Hindu Mandir, the first Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi, on February 14 by Mahant Swami Maharaj in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and the Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence for the UAE, Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan.
“Our request to build a temple there was accepted,” Jaishankar said.
Earlier in 2022, India and United Arab Emirates signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
CEPA was signed during a meeting between Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and the UAE delegation led by Minister of Economy Abdulla bin Touq Al-Marri and Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.
(ANI)
