The inauguration of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swami Narayan (BAPS) temple in the heart of the Islamic World in less than a month of Ayodhya Rama Mandir pranaprathista by PM Modi is a momentous occasion for India. From the times when the political dispensation feared sanctions from the Muslim world to the emergence of a large temple in Abu Dhabi with state support, India has travelled a long distance. This huge leap of faith in Indian civilisational values and the respect accorded to her culture and religion by the conservative Islamic world is undoubtedly a high mark in Indian diplomacy.
The
buyer-seller relationship which India had with the Arab world till a decade ago
has transformed into a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2017 with the
arena of cooperation rapidly expanding to different sectors. The prospects of
this partnership, especially with the UAE now seem to be limitless offering new
opportunities for constructive engagement. The Arab world has been a source of
vital energy supplies and served as a job market for Indian skilled and
unskilled workers. The region is home to 9 million Indians and is the biggest
source of foreign remittances.
While Pakistan
boldly played a religious card to buttress its strategic heft by associating
with the Arab world, despite the longstanding cultural and trade ties and the
people to people connect, Indian political leadership wavered to take the
relationship to the next level. Caught up by the hyped-up religious solidarity
factor played out by Pakistan, India maintained a distance from the Arab World.
Discarding
diplomatic inertia and religious lens, the Modi government began prioritising relations
with the Arab World to rebuild the legacy relationship. Arab region served as
the gateway for the ancient India. Indian trade travelled to the west through
this region. Taking a leaf from ancient Indian history, when both regions were
integrally connected, Modi resuscitated the old ties and rejuvenated the
relationship.
Modi
developed personal ties with the monarchs of the region to build goodwill. An
element of trust and mutual respect has infused a new momentum in the
relations. Stabilising the ties with continued engagement and a slew of
high-level reciprocal visits, countries have energised the bilateral ties. Further,
the ever-changing geopolitical realities, the growing stature of India in the
international framework and the steady economic rise of India have also played
a crucial role in strengthening economic cooperation, a key accompaniment of an
enduring geopolitical partnership.
Since his
first visit to UAE, in 2015, the first by an Indian Prime Minister after 34
years, PM Modi has reinvented the ties to fortify the relationship. His current
visit, the seventh in nine years and most likely the last overseas trip in his
current tenure, marks the diplomatic crescendo heralding the culmination of
“Two Nations, one Vision”. PM Modi and the President of UAE have met for the
fifth time in the last eight months. Reciprocally, the UAE President visited
India four times in the last eight years. On his latest visit to India on Jan
9-10, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended the ‘Vibrant
Gujarat Global Summit’ as the Chief Guest and held a roadshow with PM Modi at
Ahmedabad.
During PM
Modi’s current visit to Abu Dabhi, as a rare gesture, President Nahyan received
PM Modi at the airport and extended a ceremonial welcome. Later leaders held one-to-one
and delegation-level talks, reviewed the gamut of cooperation spanning
different sectors and discussed regional and global issues. The present visit,
PM Modi’s third visit to UAE since July 2023 stands out for its uniqueness in
celebration of civilisational values.
Leaders
witnessed the exchange of 10 MoUs which included- a bilateral investment
agreement; an inter-governmental framework agreement on India Middle East
Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) which includes the development and management
of a logistics platform, digital ecosystem, supply chain services to handle
cargo, bulk, containers and liquid bulk; an MoU on Digital Infrastructure
Projects which will explore the possibility of a supercomputer cluster in India
and data centres in India.
The MoU on
electricity interconnection and trade will attempt bring to life One Sun One
World One Grid (OSOWOG). Countries also signed an MoU for cooperation on
National Maritime Heritage Complex, Lothal and a cooperation protocol between the
National Library and Archives of the UAE and the National Archives of India.
The hallmark of the visit has been agreements to interlink instant payment
platforms India’s UPI and UAE’s AANI and agreement to interlink debit/credit
cards- RuPay of India with JAYWAN of UAE for seamless cross-border
transactions.
India’s Rail
India Technical and Economic Services Limited (RITES) signed an MoU with the
Abu Dhabi Ports Authority for the development of multimodal logistics parks,
economic free trade zones, rail connectivity projects and related
infrastructure services. To boost India’s energy security, Indian Oil
Corporation Limited signed a 14-year deal (2026-39) to buy 1.2 million metric
tonnes of liquified natural gas from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).
In line with
the shared commitment to cooperation in education and research, the IIT Delhi
Campus in Abu Dhabi has commenced a Master’s Programme in Energy Transition and
Sustainability. Countries have agreed to advance energy cooperation including
gas, oil and renewable energy (hydrogen, solar energy and grid connectivity).
Notwithstanding the Israel-Hamas conflict and its putative impact on IMEC,
India and UAE are now gearing up for the development of multi-modal logistics
between the countries. In a bid to revive the ancient maritime routes and
India’s trade links with the region, PM Modi has consistently advanced the IMEC
project. Indeed, the India Israel UAE US
(I2U2), the predecessor of IMEC, a template for regional cooperation has been
the brainchild of India.
UAE is
India’s third largest trading partner with bilateral trade volume touching $85
billion in 2022-23 and the second largest export destination. With the
unveiling of the UAE-India CEPA Council (UICC) in January 2024, countries are
hopeful of reaching a bilateral trade of $100 billion ahead of the target year
2030. UAE is the fourth largest investor in India. The conclusion of the Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in May 2022 and the game-changer
agreement to settle trade in rupees bypassing dollars in July 2023 has
catapulted economic cooperation to newer heights.
PM Modi held
talks with the Vice-President, Defence Minister and ruler of Dubai Sheikh
Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and virtually laid the foundation stone for
Bharat Mart Project. Bharat Mart which will be constructed at Jebel Ali port
free zone will help MSMEs to reach out to international buyers and promote
their products across the Middle East, Africa and Eurasia.
At the Ahlan
(Welcome) Modi event held at Zayed Sports Centre attended by over 40,000
people, PM Modi once again thanked President Nahyan for granting land for the construction
of the BAPS temple, his commitment towards bilateral ties and support to the
Indian community. Tipped as Davos of Dubai, PM Modi addressed the World
Government Summit themed on “Shaping Future Governments” as the guest of
honour attended by leaders from various countries, heads of international
organisations, and business leaders.
India in
recent times has the most consequential relationship with UAE. The depth of the
India-UAE partnership is exemplified by the inauguration of the first Hindu
Temple in the capital city of UAE on Basant Panchami, February 14th. The temple
besides reinforcing UAE’s global commitment to harmony, tolerance and peaceful
existence underscores the tolerance and universal well-being of Sanatana
Dharma. The Indian diaspora that has spread across the world has always earned
the accolades of the host country by their very nature of quickly integrating
into society. This intangible soft power helped them to promote their dharma
which believes in inclusivity, mutual respect and harmony.
The goodwill
earned by the 3.5 million strong Indian Diaspora along with the political
proclivity to enrich the legacy relationship with the UAE has played a great
role in making the dream of building a grand temple that depicts the spiritual
and ethical values of Sanatana Dharma. The architectural marvel with
unparalleled grandeur celebrated the convergence of shared values of both
countries through two central domes- ‘Dome of Harmony’ and ‘Dome of Peace’
while the seven shikars (spires) of the temple represented the seven emirates
of UAE. With a special place marked for stories from different civilisations-
like Mayas, Aztecs, Incas etc, the temple captured the global
interconnectedness. Though UAE has
several Hindu temples, Buddhist temples and Gurudwaras, the momentous occasion
of the BAPS temple inauguration by the head of the country signals a rare
confidence, collaboration and acceptance.
By granting
the land for the temple in 2015 and allowing the temple construction, UAE not
only burnished its credentials as a syncretic and thriving pluralistic society
but upheld the concept of “Two Nations, One Vision”, the theme of the UAE-India
Business Summit held at Gandhinagar. While the temple inauguration has been the
focal point of Modi’s current trip, the bilateral talks allowed both leaders to
take stock of the deteriorating security situation in the region and assert
continued cooperation and coordination to safeguard each other's interests.
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