Birla also makes speech during joint Emirati-Indian session at FNC headquarters
Abu Dhabi: His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, received Om Birla, the Speaker of Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, on Tuesday at Qasr Al Bahr Majlis in the UAE.
The two sides discussed the prospects of further developing bilateral relations in various fields, especially in the parliamentary field, within the framework of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.
The meeting touched on the recent UAE-India virtual summit which resulted in the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and the launch of the UAE-India Joint Vision.
They discussed the role of parliaments in strengthening relationships and supporting the values of peace and coexistence, noting the importance of pushing the Emirati-Indian parliamentary relations forward over the coming period.
Joint Emirati-Indian session at FNC headquarters
Meanwhile, Birla also attended a joint Emirati-Indian session chaired by Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC), at the Zayed Hall in the FNC’s headquarters.
He said the UAE and India are bound with historic friendship and partnership and share close cultural and economic relations dating back to ancient times, stressing the regular mutual visits between their officials have strengthened their relations.
The success of the strategic partnership between the two countries is due to the efforts of their leaderships, represented by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, he added.
Birla delivered a speech in the presence of Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, along with members of the FNC and the Indian delegation.
In his speech, Birla extended his best wishes, on behalf of India’s parliament and people, to President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, stressing that the city of Abu Dhabi embodies the integration between history and modernity.
He also affirmed that the bilateral relations between India and the UAE have significantly progressed, developing into a comprehensive strategic partnership, noting that Modi’s visit to the UAE in 2015 and the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to India in 2017, followed by the latest virtual meeting between the leaders of the two countries this month, have enhanced their bilateral ties while CEPA has driven their bilateral relations to a new strategic dimension, representing the foundation of their future economic development.
Birla stressed that India is looking forward to strengthening the parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, stating that they welcome the mutual visits of parliamentary delegations aimed at promoting parliamentary diplomacy and establishing parliamentary friendship groups.
“The economic cooperation between India and the UAE is a key tool for achieving regional and international prosperity. In recent years, the UAE has realised significant economic milestones and has become an economic centre based on knowledge. Today, Dubai has become an innovation hub, and I am proud of the significant number of emerging Indian companies operating in the UAE,” Birla said.
“India is exerting significant efforts to achieve rapid economic development, and it has become a leading investment destination, due to the significant efforts of its government,” he added.
“India and the UAE are integrating on so many levels, and CEPA represents a key milestone in the mutual history of both countries, which will enable us to increase the value of our trade exchange and achieve prosperity in both countries,” he further said.
“India has always played a leading role in promoting peace and combatting all forms of terrorism globally, and we strongly condemn the recent terrorist attack on the UAE,” he stated. The peoples of the two countries will not give in to these terrorist attacks, he noted and lauded the rapid response of the UAE government to rescue the families of Indian victims of the attacks.
Ghobash highlighted the deep-rooted ties between the UAE and India, saying that their bilateral relations have progressed, due to the mutual strategic vision of their leaderships.
“At the FNC, as representatives of the Emirati people, we are keen to strengthen our parliamentary ties with the Indian parliament,” he added.
