Indo-UAE ties witness upswing in 2007

The year 2007 saw the Indo-UAE ties receiving a boost with the exchange of several high-profile visits.

The year 2007 saw the Indo-UAE ties receiving a boost with the exchange of several high-profile visits as the leadership of the two countries expressed their commitment to maintain the momentum of progress in the bilateral relationship.

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In March 2007, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, visited India shortly after the December 2006 visit of Commerce Minister Kamal Nath in Dubai to participate in the Indo-Arab World Business Summit.

Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi visited the UAE twice while Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Economy, led a delegation to India for the first bilateral Trade Policy Forum.

In June, UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India for the ninth Joint Commission meeting.

According to Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, the UAE and India are exploring new avenues of bilateral cooperation.

"We cannot but recall the deep ties of friendship that we have with the countries of the Arabian Gulf, particularly the UAE. Our links -- commercial, cultural, religious and intellectual -- go back a few millennia and have enriched our civilisations and moulded the shape and character of our recent history and our joint destiny," he says.

The Indo-UAE ties benefitted from the commitment of the leaders of the two countries to maintain a momentum of progress in their relationship.