Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in New Delhi on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of Defence, both leaders expressed satisfaction with the current level of defence cooperation, which includes institutional mechanisms, joint military exercises, and exchange of training programmes.
They acknowledged the need to further scale up defence collaboration in line with progress achieved in other sectors such as trade and business, in keeping with the shared vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Training exchanges were identified as a key area of future cooperation, with both sides noting that such initiatives would promote mutual understanding of each other’s defence ecosystems and help strengthen bilateral ties.
The ministers also expressed satisfaction over the active cooperation between their respective coast guard forces. They agreed to formalise this collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the aim of enhancing maritime security.
The leaders highlighted the importance of defence industry collaboration as an integral component of bilateral ties. They discussed the potential for enhancing partnerships in defence manufacturing and emphasised the need to explore joint ventures and co-production opportunities.
Both sides welcomed the growing participation in each other’s defence exhibitions and expos, and reaffirmed the importance of the India-UAE Defence Partnership Forum. The Forum, they noted, has the potential to lead to strategic industrial partnerships and technology-sharing agreements under initiatives such as ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make in Emirates’.
In a post on X, Defence Minister Singh said that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UAE remains a key priority for India.
“In the coming years, we are eager to work closely in areas such as defence cooperation, co-production and co-development projects, innovation and technology. Both India and the UAE are committed to work towards peace and prosperity in the region,” he stated.
India and the UAE signed an MoU on Defence Cooperation in 2003, followed by another on Defence Industry Cooperation in 2017. The two countries share longstanding cultural and economic ties, which continue to form the foundation of their bilateral relationship.
