Abu Dhabi Chamber, India's Ficci explore new areas of collaboration

Yusuff Ali M.A, Second Vice Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI), reaffirmed the solid relations between the UAE and India, saying: "The UAE and India share a long history of solid relations, which laid the ground for signing the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) last year. One of the key objectives of the Cepa is to increase trade exchange by 120 per cent to $100 billion over the next five years."

He was speaking at a meeting organised by the ADCCI at its headquarters, where the Chamber welcomed a high-level delegation from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Ficci). The meeting was attended by members of the Abu Dhabi Chamber's Board of Directors, including Masood Rahma Al Masaood, Treasurer; Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, Deputy Treasurer, and Nour Al Tamimi, Board Member of the Abu Dhabi Business Women Council.

The Indian delegation, headed by Dr. Gunveena Chadha, Assistant Secretary-General of the Ficci, included representatives of more than 30 private companies across a wide range of industries such as agriculture, chemical, electrical equipment, textile, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, sports equipment, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and others.

Yusuff Ali said: "We are proud of our economic relations with India, centred on mutual respect, friendship, and cooperation. We have worked together on several projects and have signed different agreements to strengthen cooperation in vital industries, including manufacturing, SMEs, energy, IT, digitisation, logistics, and financial services industries, among others.

"Our trade history with India confirms the importance of our partnership, especially since India is the UAE's number one trading partner in terms of non-oil exports, accounting for 14 percent of our total global exports. In 2021 alone, non-oil trade exchange between the two countries amounted to US$45 billion," he pointed out.