India, France, and UAE Join Forces to Cooperate in Key Areas Including Defence and Energy
On February 4th, 2023, the Foreign Ministers of India, France, and the UAE held a phone call to adopt a roadmap for the implementation of their trilateral cooperation initiative, which was established during the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 19th, 2022. During the call, the three sides agreed to expand cooperation in various fields of mutual interest, including energy (with a focus on solar and nuclear energy), the fight against climate change and the protection of biodiversity, and development agencies’ efforts on sustainable projects. They also committed to promoting cultural cooperation, as well as cooperation in the fields of defence, innovation, and people-to-people exchanges.
Subsequently, on February 6th, 2023, Foreign Secretary Shri Vinay Mohan Kwatra participated in the Focal Points’ Meeting of the India-France-UAE Trilateral Dialogue, which was held in France. During the meeting, the focal points discussed the practical steps to take the cooperation forward, including in the fields of defence, energy and environment, innovation, and people-to-people exchanges. They agreed to regularly review progress on the trilateral roadmap and remain in touch.
In support of their cooperation efforts, the three countries also agreed to organize a range of trilateral events in the framework of the Indian Presidency of the G20 and the UAE’s hosting of COP-28 in 2023. They plan to expand their cooperation through initiatives such as the Mangrove Alliance for Climate led by the UAE and the Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership led by India and France. They also intend to focus on key issues such as single-use plastic pollution, desertification, and food security in the context of the International Year of Millets-2023.
The three countries acknowledged that defence is a crucial area of close cooperation and will undertake efforts to further promote compatibility and joint development and co-production while seeking avenues for further collaboration and training between their defence forces. They also aim to strengthen exchanges of views on emerging threats from infectious diseases, as well as measures to fight against future pandemics and will encourage cooperation in multilateral organizations such as World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi-the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund, and Unitaid.
As countries at the forefront of technological innovation, the development of trilateral cooperation between relevant academic and research institutions, and efforts to promote co-innovation projects, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship will be encouraged. Trilateral conferences and meetings on the sidelines of high-level technology events will be arranged to support such cooperation.
In recognition of the critical role social and human bonds play in their partnership, the three countries will ensure that this trilateral initiative will be leveraged as a platform to promote cultural cooperation, through a range of joint projects, including heritage promotion and protection.
