M J Akbar
M J Akbar
India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will hold the second strategic dialogue during Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar's visit to Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Akbar and his UAE counterpart, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of UAE Anwar Gargash, will lead their respective delegations in the strategic dialogue.
"The official discussions would cover the entire gamut of bilateral, regional and international matters of mutual interest," the Ministry of External Affairs stated on Friday.
India and the UAE held the first round of strategic dialogue on January 20.
"India enjoys close and multifaceted bilateral ties with the UAE, anchored on regular high-level visits and extensive people-to-people contacts," the MEA stated.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UAE in August 2015. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the de-facto ruler of the UAE, visited India, first in February 2016 and then again in January as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations.
A series of high-level engagements elevated India-UAE relationship to a "comprehensive strategic partnership".
The UAE is India's third largest trading partner, with bilateral trade amounting to $ 53 billion.
India is the UAE's largest trading partner. The UAE is among the top investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments and contributes significantly to India's energy security. The Gulf nation was the fifth-largest supplier of crude oil to India in 2016-17.
The Indian diaspora - 1.6 million people - forms the largest expatriate group in the UAE.
"This visit will provide a useful opportunity to further cement our mutually beneficial bilateral ties with the UAE," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
DH News Service