Mumbai: A major step has been taken toward further deepening bilateral ties and economic cooperation between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). External Affairs Minister of India Dr S Jaishankar held a crucial high-level meeting with UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Mumbai. During this bilateral meeting, both leaders reviewed ongoing cooperation across trade, investment, energy, and strategic partnership domains, while holding detailed discussions on future initiatives.

Economic partnership strengthens despite global challenges:

Speaking on the occasion, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar stated that the economic partnership between the two nations continues to gather momentum despite severe global headwinds and regional challenges. He highlighted that notwithstanding global economic pressures and regional turbulence, the India-UAE economic partnership is setting new milestones and fresh benchmarks this year. He emphasized that this resilience reflects how deeply intertwined the economic interests of both countries have become.

Bilateral trade under CEPA crosses 100 billion US dollars:

Sharing historic milestones of the commercial partnership, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a major announcement. He shared that ever since the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), bilateral trade between India and the UAE has officially crossed the massive benchmark of 100 billion US dollars. He remarked that this historic milestone stands as proof that the framework created by both nations for free, seamless, and streamlined trade has delivered concrete results.

Focus on boosting bilateral commerce and investments:

During the Mumbai meeting, UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan reiterated his commitment to further strengthening ties with India. The CEPA pact has unlocked new opportunities for businesses, industrialists, and investors across both countries. Significant growth has been recorded in sectors such as gems and jewellery, textiles, agricultural commodities, engineering goods, and petroleum products. Both leaders also discussed avenues for expanding direct trade settlement in national currencies, integrating digital payment ecosystems, and attracting fresh investments into infrastructure development.

Regional stability and international collaboration:

Beyond bilateral trade agendas, the ministerial discussions encompassed the broader situation across West Asia and regional security dynamics. Dr S Jaishankar and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan agreed that peace, security, and stability form the bedrock of sustainable economic progress. They reaffirmed that India and the UAE will continue to work closely together across multilateral and international forums.

This high-level engagement in Mumbai marks another significant milestone in India-UAE strategic ties. Bilateral trade crossing the 100 billion US dollar mark demonstrates deep mutual trust, laying a solid foundation for the economic partnership to reach even greater heights in the coming period.