Foreign secretary Vikram Misri visits UAE to boost economic, strategic ties

The visit was part of regular, high-level engagement and allowed the two sides to take stock of progress in the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri met the leadership of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during a two-day visit, with the focus on ramping up economic engagement and strategic cooperation with one of India’s closest partners in West Asia.

Misri, who was in the UAE during November 1-2, held talks with Reem Al Hashimy, the minister of state for international cooperation and UAE’s special envoy for India in Abu Dhabi to review the strategic bilateral partnership across sectors and to explore new avenues of cooperation, the external affairs ministry said in a readout on Monday. They also exchanged views on regional and global developments.

He also met Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the department of culture and tourism of Abu Dhabi, to explore closer institutional linkages and fresh avenues for cooperation in cultural and creative exchanges

This included the House of India, a proposed museum to showcase Indian art, history and heritage, and tourism.

Misri interacted with Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi, chairman of Abu Dhabi’s department of finance and Group CEO of L’Imad Holding Company. Their discussions focused on scaling up economic engagement to enhance investment flows and build long-term commercial partnerships.

The visit was part of regular, high-level engagement and allowed the two sides to take stock of progress in the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership. It also underscored the mutual trust and strategic convergence that underpin India-UAE ties, and the shared resolve to impart further momentum to the partnership, the external affairs ministry said.

Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More