India, UAE discuss regional issues

New Delhi, Aug 17: India and UAE on Monday discussed the regional issues pertaining to their neighbourhood and cooperation at the United Nations and other multilateral fora.
Both the countries held the 13th Session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation virtually on Monday.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan co-chaired the meeting.
“On August 13, the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) was also held virtually between Secretary (Consular, Passport and Visa & Overseas Indian Affairs) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sanjay Bhattacharyya and UAE Assistant Minister of Economic and Trade Affairs Abdul Nasser Al Shaali,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
In preparation for the JCM and SOM, virtual meetings of the members of the 5 Sub-Committees from India and the UAE on Overview and High-level exchanges; Economic, Trade and Investment cooperation; Consular & Community Affairs cooperation; Defence and security cooperation; and Education, culture and youth cooperation were held on August 10 and 11.
“Wide-ranging discussions were held in a friendly, frank and constructive atmosphere, reflecting the strong bilateral ties between the two strategic partners,” it added.
Noting the close political relations between the two countries, both sides expressed satisfaction over the sustenance of momentum in the bilateral relations in various areas for mutual benefit under the aegis of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
They agreed to strengthen cooperation in ongoing areas and also to explore cooperation in newer areas reflecting the changing times.
In this context, both sides welcomed the close cooperation during the last few months in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and discussed a joint strategy to offset the economic and social impact of the pandemic on both countries.
Both sides agreed to hold the next Session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
The specific dates of the meeting will be finalised by both sides through diplomatic channels.