Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday with an Indian parliamentary delegation, met Speaker of Federal National Council of UAE Saqr Gobash on Monday.
Speaking on this occasion, Birla said that since 2015, after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, new momentum was set in the bilateral relations between India and UAE which was further strengthened after our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2017.
Om Birla said that relations between India and UAE have grown in all spheres be it politics, trade, investment, defence, security, energy, and culture or people-to-people ties.
Recalling the 5th World Conference of Speakers held in 2021, Birla said that we had detailed discussions on furthering bilateral cooperation for mutual interest and now we should extend our friendship to other areas of mutual interest. Expressing confidence in the future ties between the two countries, he said that India and UAE can further strengthen cooperation in new and emerging areas such as renewable energy, Artificial Intelligence, sustainable economy, health – tech, and edu-tech.
Birla also thanked the UAE for their support to the Indian community in UAE during the Covid pandemic. He said that bilateral trade has been a pillar of strength in the relationship between the two countries. He also referred to the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the trade pact between India and the United Arab Emirates during a virtual summit led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He expressed confidence that the pact would give a new height to the economic relationship between India and UAE.
Earlier, Birla along with the Indian parliamentary delegation had visited Wahat Al Karama, or the “the Oasis of Dignity”, in Abu Dhabi on Monday. They paid tributes to the brave soldiers of the UAE and other Emiratis. He remembered their sacrifices in the service of their nation.