Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid with the then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi in 2007.
Dubai - Indian prime minister praised the laws and regulations governing general labour rights in the UAE in March 2007.
Published: Sun 22 Jan 2017, 8:34 PM
Another historical landmark in the UAE-India relations was the official visit of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in March 2007 to India. Shaikh Mohammed and his delegation were received by then Indian president, the late APJ Abdul Kalam.
He also held official discussions with then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh at Hyderabad Palace in New Delhi, where they addressed the overall bilateral relations between the UAE and India and the level of trade and investment exchange between the two countries, particularly at the private sector level.
At the meeting, the Indian prime minister praised the laws and regulations governing general labour rights in the UAE, describing the country as hospitable and safe not just for the Indian labour force but for all residents. He also noted that health, human and civil rights that are enjoyed under applicable laws.
See photo gallery: UAE and India: A look at their historic friendship
Several agreements were also signed between the two countries, including one related to developing real estate projects and constructing residential and tourist-friendly cities in India. Another agreement was against double taxation between the two parties and agreements that aim to strengthen UAE-India bilateral relations in various fields.
In November 2010, former Indian president Pratibha Patil made an official visit to the UAE and discussed with Shaikh Mohammed the bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them in the trade, economic, investment, and cultural sectors, in light of the steady growth in trade exchange between the two countries. The Indian President emphasised the contribution of the Indian labour force to the UAE economy.
An Indian prime minister visits the UAE after 34 years
The bilateral relations between the two countries were further consolidated with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's official visit to the UAE in August 2015. It was the first visit made by an Indian Prime Minister to the UAE in 34 years since Indira Gandhi's visit in 1981.
Prime Minister Modi met with Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Intensive discussions were held between the two sides, mainly addressing UAE-India collaboration in the fields of energy, trade, and security. Also discussed was the facilitation of the exchange of regular visits between religious scholars and intellectuals, in addition to the facilitation of the organisation of conferences and seminars that aim to promote peace, tolerance, participation and well-being, values that are inherent in all religions.
On January 24-26, Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed will be the chief guest for the Indian Republic Day celebrations. This will be his second visit to India in a span of one year. He made his first state visit to India last February on the invitation of Modi. The two high-level visits elevated the friendly relationship between the UAE and India to a comprehensive strategic partnership and their relations to new heights.
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British Raj, Trucial States were closely linked
Did you know that India used to provide military security to the Trucial States which now comprise the UAE?
According to the Times of India, prior to the formation of the UAE on December 2, 1971, the nominally-independent shaikhdoms or Trucial States ('trucial' derived from truce) were under the British Raj. There was no direct rule, but the military and political influences on those states were seen as necessary to maintain political stability in the broader west Asian region and in the Indian Ocean.
Calcutta (now Kolkata) and later New Delhi (then the capitals of the Raj) provided security umbrella to the fledgling nation.
Eventually, the Trucial States, did not just benefit from the security but in capacity building as well. The origins of the armed forces and city polices of the modern-day UAE can be traced in the training and knowledge sharing from British India.
Over the years, security relations between the UAE and India have grown and expanded to cooperation in areas of law enforcement, combating of money laundering, drug trafficking and cross-border crimes, criminal extradition agreements, and police force training. The two countries also have agreements in the field of cyberspace.
angel@khaleejtimes.com
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