India, UAE Review Trade, Defence Ties

New Delhi, Sep 10 (PTI) India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday carried out a comprehensive review of their ties in areas of trade and investment, energy and defence.

The review was carried out by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and the UAE's Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy during their talks in New Delhi.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Misri and Hashimy reviewed the entire spectrum of the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including in the areas of trade and investment, energy, defence and security, education, culture and people-to-people ties.

"They took stock of the various ongoing initiatives in diverse sectors of bilateral cooperation, as well as the implementation of key decisions taken during high-level meetings and exchanges," it said.

The MEA said the two sides also exchanged views on global and regional issues of mutual interest.

It is understood that the overall situation in West Asia figured in the talks.

"India and the UAE share historically close and friendly relations, underpinned by strong people-to-people ties. A vibrant Indian diaspora of over 4.3 million resides in the UAE," the MEA said in a statement.

Bilateral trade between India and the UAE stood at USD 100.05 billion for financial year 2024-25.

"The regular exchange of high level visits between the two sides, contributes to strong bilateral relationship and opens avenues for deepening the partnership in all spheres," the MEA said.

Following the landmark visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UAE in August 2015, bilateral relations between the two countries were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.