BILATERAL ISSUES

BAHRAIN

Warm greetings from Indian leadership on the occasion of Bahrain’s 49^th National Day, New Delhi, 17 December 2020.

The President of India, H.E. Ram Nath Kovind and the Prime Minister H.E. Narendra Modi sent congratulatory messages conveying warm greetings and felicitations to His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and Prime Minister, the Government and friendly people of Bahrain on the occasion of 49th National Day of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

President Kovind stated that India and Bahrain share deep-rooted and close bilateral ties and people-to-people contacts. He stated that with high level interactions, multi-faceted bilateral cooperation between the two countries has witnessed unprecedented growth in recent years.

Prime Minister Modi recalled his visit to the Kingdom last year and stated that India deeply values its long-standing civilizational ties with the Kingdom of Bahrain, marked by people to people contacts. He expressed confidence that the mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries will continue to deepen and expand in times to come.

Hon’ble External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar conveyed his greetings in a tweet and stated “Best wishes to FM Al Zayani and the Government and people of Bahrain as they celebrate their National Day. Confident that our bonds of friendship and cooperation will continue to strengthen.” Source: Embassy of India, Manama.

The Embassy of India organised the Open House, Manama, 25 December 2020.

The Embassy of India organised the Open House on 25 December 2020 between 10:00 hrs to 12:00 hrs, during which Ambassador Piyush Srivastava and the entire Consular team of the Embassy interacted with the Indian community members directly for redressing their urgent/non-routine consular and labour issues. Due to restrictions in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the Embassy has continued to hold the ‘Open House’ in virtual mode.

Ambassador briefed the community members about the positive developments and measures taken by both Governments for the welfare of the Indian community. Based on the feedback received from previous Virtual Open Houses, the Embassy took measures to expedite the delivery of various services including appointments, the schedules for which was slightly delayed due to Covid restrictions.

The Embassy has resumed providing the services of the volunteers to assist our people requiring consular services, for which we are thankful to Indian Community Relief Fund.

Ambassador Piyush Srivastava thanked the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain for various measures as well as cooperation extended to the Embassy for welfare of the Indian community. The local Government of Bahrain has announced reduction in Covid test fee from BHD 60 to BHD 40 which has brought relief to Indian nationals travelling back to Bahrain. A number of people have availed of the Amnesty extended by the Government of Bahrain. The Embassy has issued over 350 Short Validity Passports to enable Indian nationals regularise their stay in Bahrain, besides issuing Emergency Certificates to enable travel of those who wanted to travel back to India within Amnesty period.

Ambassador urged to all concerned community members to avail of the Amnesty scheme which will come to an end on 31st December 2020. Ambassador also encouraged Indian community to regularly follow Embassy’s website and social media accounts for updates regarding pressing common issues such as Covid-19 related SOPs and travel related information, besides information on positive developments in India-Bahrain bilateral relations as well as economic and other developments in India. Ambassador particularly highlighted the recent instance of some fraudsters spoofing the Embassy’s Emergency telephone no.+973-39418071 to illicit personal information and extort money from Indian nationals under various pretexts and advised the community members not to entertain such telephone calls made in the name of Embassy and report the matter immediately to the Embassy.

The Advisory in this regard has already been put up on Embassy’s Website and social media accounts.

Ambassador listened to specific grievances of the community members present in the Open House.

It was a highly productive interactive session. While some of the grievances/issues being faced by the Indian Community have been resolved, on the other matters requiring documents/details, Embassy will follow up on the same with a view to resolve them at the earliest possible. Source: Embassy of India, Manama.

IRAN

First Trilateral Working Group Meeting between India, Iran and Uzbekistan on joint use of Chabahar Port, New Delhi, 14 December 2020.

1. The first Trilateral Working Group Meeting between India, Iran and Uzbekistan on the joint use of Chabahar Port was held virtually on December 14, 2020.

2. The Meeting was jointly chaired by Secretary (Shipping), Shi Sanjeev Ranjan, Government of India, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr. D. Dehkanov and Deputy Transport Minister of Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Shahram Adamnejad.

3. During the meeting, the participants discussed joint use of Chabahar Port for trade and transit purposes and enhanced regional connectivity. All sides also noted the significant role played by Chabahar port for the region to deliver humanitarian assistance during the COVID pandemic.

4. All sides welcomed India’s proposal to hold "Chabahar Day” on the side-lines of the International Maritime Summit scheduled to be hosted by India in January 2021.

5. The meeting was held as a follow up of decisions taken during the virtual summit held between Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and President H.E. Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan on December 11, 2020. Source: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

JORDAN

3rd India - Jordan Foreign Office Consultations, New Delhi,16 December 2020

The third round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Jordan was co-chaired by Shri Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Secretary (CPV & OIA) and Mr. Yousef Bataineh, Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan through video conference on 16 December 2020.

Both sides underscored that the historically warm and cordial relations received a strong fillip following the visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Amman in February 2018 and the return visit soon after by His Majesty King Abdullah II to India in March 2018.

They noted with satisfaction the significant growth in cooperation in the fields of defence and security, including counter terrorism, trade and investment, ICT, tourism, education and culture. India lauded the role of the Aqaba Process in facilitating regular, comprehensive dialogue on counter-terrorism among global stakeholders.

Acknowledging the rapid expansion of trade volumes, which rose by 20% during 2019-20 to reach USD 2 billion, they agreed on the need to diversify the trade basket that is at the moment dominated by a limited range of commodities – fertilizers in case of Jordan’s exports and electrical appliances, textiles, automotive parts, and meat products for Indian exports. Indian companies were invited to participate in Jordan’s infrastructure development, especially in road, railways, power and construction sectors. It was agreed to convene the 11th India-Jordan Trade and Economic Joint Committee and India-Jordan Joint Business Council meetings on an early date.

India welcomed Jordan’s visa on arrival facility for Indian nationals and requested its further streamlining so that it would effectively boost tourism and people-to-people contacts. They noted that Jordan was emerging as a favoured shooting location for Indian film makers.

The Jordanian side thanked India for facilitating commercial export of masks and medicines to Jordan during the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. India will train Jordanian medical experts in Covid management and emergency care. Both sides have also worked closely in facilitating repatriation of each other’s nationals during the lock-down through India’s Vande Bharat Mission flights. There was a discussion on possible cooperation on the vaccine front.

The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Secretary (CPV & OIA) extended an invitation to Mr. Yousef Bataineh to visit India next year for the fourth round of Foreign Office Consultations. Source: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

KUWAIT

PM congratulates Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, on his re-appointment as the Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait, New Delhi, 08 December 2020

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, on his re-appointment as the Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait.

In a series of tweet, Shri Modi said "Hearty congratulations and best wishes to His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, on his re-appointment as the Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait, after the successful National Assembly elections on December 5th.

I am confident that our excellent bilateral relations will continue to expand and flourish under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait." Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB)

OMAN

Virtual Meeting between Foreign Ministers of India and Oman, New Delhi, 02 December 2020.

External Affairs Minister held a virtual meeting with Foreign Minister of Oman H.E. SayyidBadr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi today. The Ministers had extensive discussions on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues.

EAM conveyed greetings on the occasion of 50th National Day of Oman’s modern renaissance. He thanked Foreign Minister SayyidBadr and Government of Oman for support to the Indian community and excellent cooperation during COVID-19. Both sides agreed to continue working closely to address the ongoing challenges emanating from the pandemic.

EAM and Oman FM reviewed cooperation in key areas of India-Oman strategic partnership viz. defence and security, economic cooperation, capacity building and training, consular issues and people-to-people ties. They noted the huge potential for expanding economic partnership given the strong complementarities between the two economies. They emphasized the importance of health and food security in the coming times and the ability of the partnership of both countries to address them. The Ministers exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues and agreed to maintain close cooperation in multilateral fora.

EAM appreciated Oman’s gesture of establishing Oman-India Friendship Association. Source: Embassy of India, Muscat.

Visit of Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs to Oman (December 16-17, 2020), New Delhi, 18 December 2020

Shri V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs will be undertaking an official visit to Oman on December 16-17, 2020. This will be his first visit to the country as MOS. During the visit he will be meeting the Foreign Minister of Oman, Labour Minister as well as other Ministers. He will also be interacting with a broad cross-section of the Indian community and the newly formed Oman-India Friendship Association. MOS will be meeting the representatives of Indian Social Club, social workers, medical and education professionals and yoga organizations.

During the visit MOS will hold talks on various bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. He will particularly focus on issues related to the Indian community. Oman hosts more than 600,000 Indians. Both countries have worked together to face the Covid-19 pandemic and for orderly repatriation of Indians from Oman under the Vande Bharat Mission. India also ensured that supply chains for food and other essential items functioned smoothly and facilitated return of health professionals to Oman. Flights are operational between both countries under an air bubble arrangement. Oman has also recently announced that Indians will be exempted from entry visas for visiting Oman for a period of ten days.

India and Oman are linked by geography, history and culture and enjoy warm and cordial relations. Both countries share a strategic partnership and have maintained close high-level contacts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi spoke on telephone with His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik, Sultan of Oman in April 2020. EAM had a virtual meeting with Foreign Minister of Oman on December 2, 2020. India-Oman Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) was held virtually in October 2020 with participation at Ministerial level from Ministries of Commerce from both countries. Source: Embassy of India, Muscat.

QATAR

Telephone conversation between Prime Minister and His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, New Delhi, 08 December 2020.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi spoke on telephone with His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar. 

Prime Minister conveyed his felicitations to H.H. The Amir for the forthcoming National Day of Qatar.  While thanking Prime Minister for the greetings, H.H. The Amir appreciated the enthusiasm with which the Indian community in Qatar participates in the National Day celebrations.  He also conveyed warm greetings to Prime Minister for the recent Diwali festival.  

The two leaders discussed the robust cooperation between both countries in the fields of investment flows and energy security, and reviewed recent positive developments in this regard.  They decided to create a special Task-Force to further facilitate investments by Qatar Investment Authority into India, and also resolved to explore Qatari investments in the entire energy value-chain in India.

The leaders agreed to remain in regular touch, and looked forward to meeting in-person after the normalisation of the public-health situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: Embassy of India, Doha.

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar holds talks with his Qatar counterpart, New Delhi, 10 December 2020.

Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. S Jaishankar held telephonic conversation with Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin

Abdulrahman Al-Thani, today.

The call was a follow up to the recent telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi and His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar on December 8.

Dr. Jaishankar thanked the Qatar Government for its support and taking good care of the Indian Community during Covid-19. Source: Embassy of India, Doha.

Sixth Meeting of India - Qatar Joint Committee on Labour and Manpower Development, New Delhi, 10 December 2020

1. The Sixth Meeting of India- Qatar Joint Committee on Labour and Manpower Development was held virtually on December 09, 2020. The Indian delegation was led by Shri Abbagani Ramu, Joint Secretary (OIA-I), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and the Qatari delegation was led by Mr. Mohammed Hassan Alobaidly, Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs, Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, State of Qatar.

2. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss and review the entire gamut of labour and manpower cooperation related issues between the two countries.

3. They welcomed the recent labour reform measures adopted by Qatar. Both sides agreed on institutionalizing measures to promote and protect the rights of the workers, including settlement of labour issues and facilitate movement of people between the two countries, in a safe and secure manner.

4. The Qatari side expressed positive sentiments towards Indian workers and professionals and the contributions they have made to regional development.

5. It was agreed to hold the next round of meeting in Qatar at mutually convenient dates. Source: Embassy of India, Doha.

Visit of External Affairs Minister of India to Qatar (December 27-28, 2020), Doha, 28 December 2020

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar paid a two day stand-alone visit to Qatar from 27-28 December 2020. During the visit he called on Their Highnesses The Amir and Father Amir as well as the Prime Minister and Interior Minister of the State of Qatar and held detailed discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.

Dr. S. Jaishankar handed over a personal message from Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to H.H. Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani inviting him to visit India and thanking Qatar for taking care of the Indian community during Covid-19. The Amir accepted the invitation to visit India at an early date. He also recalled his telephone conversation with Prime Minister during which both leaders had decided to set up Task Forces on investment and energy. Both sides are in the process of implementing this decision.

His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani appreciated the contribution of the Indian community in Qatar and recalled his visits to India. EAM thanked him for his continued guidance on India-Qatar relations. He also appreciated Father Amir for his insights on global and regional developments.

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H.E. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani and EAM discussed strengthening bilateral economic and security cooperation.

EAM held detailed discussions with Deputy PM and Foreign Minister H.E. Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on bilateral as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. Both Ministers discussed ways to strengthen the multifaceted bilateral relationship in areas such as energy, trade, investment, food processing, healthcare, education, culture, defence and security. They agreed to maintain regular consultations and coordination on all issues of mutual interest at multilateral fora. EAM extended invitation to Deputy PM and Foreign Minister of Qatar to visit India for the first Joint Commission Meeting in 2021.

EAM interacted with the business leaders from Qatar, including the Chairmen and board members of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Qatar Businessmen Association. EAM appreciated their commitment for business partnerships with India and briefed them about new opportunities flowing from Atmanirbhar Bharat.

EAM held a virtual interaction with the Indian community in Qatar. He appreciated the contribution of the community in meeting the Covid-19 challenge. EAM visited the Ahmed bin Ali FIFA Stadium that has been constructed by Indian company L&T along with Qatari partners Al Balagh group. He also visited the Qatar National Museum. Source: Embassy of India, Doha.

SAUDI ARABIA

Chief of Army Staff proceeds on a visit to United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, New Delhi, 08 December 2020.

General MM Naravane, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) has proceeded on a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 09 to 14 December 2020. During the visit, he will be meeting his counterparts and senior military leadership of these countries. The visit is historic in the sense that it will be the first time an Indian Army Chief is visiting the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Army Chief is visiting the UAE from 09 to 10 December 2020. He is scheduled call on senior military officials where he will discuss avenues for enhancing India-UAE defence relations.

The Army Chief will then travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the second leg of his tour from 13 to 14 December 2020. He will take forward the excellent defence cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India through multiple meetings with senior functionaries of security establishment and exchange views on various defence related issues. The Army Chief will visit the Headquarters of Royal Saudi Land Force, the Joint Force Command Headquarters and King Abdul Aziz Military Academy. The COAS is also scheduled to visit the National Defence University and address the students and faculty at the institution. Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB).

UAE

Union Minister of Education holds a virtual bilateral meeting with Minister of Education, the United Arab Emirates, New Delhi, 09 December 2020.

Union Minister of Education Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ virtually held a meeting with H.E Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, the United Arab Emirates today. Her Excellency Jameela AlMuhairi, Minister of State for Public Education; H.E Dr. Ahmed Abdul Rahman AlBanna, UAE Ambassador to India were present in the meeting. Secretary, Higher Education Shri Amit Khare, Senior officials from Education Ministry and Ministry of Education of UAE also attended the meeting.

H.E Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, the United Arab Emirates appreciated the National Education Policy- 2020. He said that the policy is a visionary document as it lays emphasis on holistic development of the students. He said that the education sector has the potential to take mutual cooperation to new heights and both the countries should work to increase long-term cooperation in the field of education.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Pokhriyal said that India and UAE share a very strong and deep bilateral relationship and both sides have been working together to strengthen educational cooperation and collaboration. This meeting is being held with a view to further deepen our relations especially in the field of education by way of continuous dialogue and by enhancing active, interactive and long term collaborations at various levels, he added.

The Minister invited students from UAE to India under our Study in India Programme and invited more number of faculties to India for taking short-term courses in Indian universities under GIAN programme.

Highlighting National Education Policy, the Minister said it is very forward looking policy which will change the entire education landscape of the country, making it more aligned to global systems. It keeps choice of the student at the centre, and has recommended flexibility in choice of subjects and fluidity between different streams, he added. The Minister stated that NEP is built on the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability. It will ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, and promote lifelong learning for all, so that critical targets and SDG goals under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development can be achieved, he added.

Shri Pokhriyal further highlighted that there is a lot of focus on internationalization of education. For giving impetus to Internationalization, following are being planned such as Foreign Students Office in each HEI hosting foreign students, Quality residential facilities, Improve overall Quality of Education, Reforms will make Indian systems aligned to International Curricula, Regulations being put in place to allow Joint Degrees, Twinning Arrangements and Dual Degrees between Indian and Foreign institutions, etc. He also said that a Common Portal for admission to Indian universities with details of all courses is also being contemplated of. The Minister hoped for an enhanced, deeper and more meaningful academic cooperation between the educational institutions in both the countries under our new policy.

Shri Pokhriyal informed that an MOU on cooperation in the field of Education between India and UAE is at an advanced stage of finalization. He hoped that it would enhance academic collaboration between the higher educational institutions of our countries. He thanked the Ministry of Education for his interest in enhancing academic collaboration between both the countries. India is also eager to move towards deepening our mutual engagements and cooperation, he added. Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB)

Virtual Business Meet to explore business opportunities in engineering sector with the UAE, Abu Dhabi, 22 December 2020.

Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi and the Engineering Exports Promotion Council (EEPC) India jointly organised an India-UAE Virtual Business Meet on 22nd December 2020 to promote exports of Indian Engineering Products to the UAE.

The meeting was attended by around 65 participants from both sides, including senior Officers from the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi; Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, EEPC India besides leading Industry representatives from India and UAE.

H.E. Mr. Pavan Kapoor, Ambassador of India to the UAE in his keynote address spoke of the close relations between India and UAE and rapidly growing bilateral trade and economic ties between them. While highlighting India’s remarkable progress in the engineering sector during the last couple of years, he spoke of potential to increase exports from India to UAE in the renewables sector since the UAE’s stress on this area.

Dr. Srikar K. Reddy, Joint Secretary (Foreign Trade- WANA region), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, in his special address highlighted the key reforms undertaken by the Government of India to promote foreign investments to give a boost to the manufacturing sector in India.

Mr. Mahesh Desai, Chairman EEPC in his address mentioned the efforts made by EEPC in promoting engineering exports to the world and also mentioned about UAE’s importance as strategic regional trading hub.

Mr. Bharat Bhatia, CEO, CONARES, Mr. Ashok Odhrani, CEO, Supertech Group and Mr. Yogesh Mehta, Chairman PIOCCI also put forward their views in the virtual meeting to promote engineering exports from India to the UAE. The event was also attended by Senior Representatives from DP World, Buimerc Corporation, Danube Group, Larsen & Toubro, UAE - India Business Council, CII Representative in Dubai and Engineers-India Ltd Dubai.

The networking session provided an opportunity for meaningful exchange between participating Indian and UAE companies to explore and promote new business partnerships in this important sector. Source: Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi.

YEMEN

Arria-formula meeting on Yemen, Statement by Ambassador K. Nagaraj Naidu Deputy Permanent Representative, New York, 3 December 2020

Thank you, Ambassador Christoph,

My delegation thanks the Missions of Germany, Belgium, Estonia, the Dominican Republic and incoming Council member Ireland for organizing today’s Arria-formula meeting, though we have our own reservations on the meeting format.

We would also like to thank the eminent experts for their insightful briefing. The briefing by Amal was deeply touching.

The impact of the ongoing conflict on the basic human rights, needs and dignity of ordinary Yemenis is very clear.

 Every month OCHA has been presenting harrowing figures to the Security Council.

The estimated loss of life due to conflict, starvation and disease is more than 100,000. Around 3.65 million people have been forced to flee their homes, and 24.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

The threat of famine looms large. The population is already facing high levels of acute food insecurity is placed at 3.2 million. Malnutrition among children is hitting the highest levels since the conflict started, leaving at least 98,000 children under the age of 5 at the risk of dying.

These numbers not only underscore the enormity of the crisis and the consequent human suffering but also point to the fact that Yemen’s catastrophe is man-made.

Protection of civilians and access to humanitarian aid are fundamental and parties to the conflict should comply with their obligations under relevant international law.

India has provided food and medical aid to Yemen in the past and thousands of Yemeni nationals have availed of medical treatment in India over the past few years.

India also continues to facilitate education of a large number of Yemeni nationals in various Indian institutions. India remains committed to help Yemen with humanitarian assistance.

While discussing the broader political conflict in Yemen, the presence of terrorist elements like ISIS and Al Qaeda in parts of the country and their continued attacks on civilian population needs to be addressed.

Terrorism is an existential threat to humanity and terrorists are the biggest violators of human rights. We must unite in fighting the dark forces of terror everywhere in the world and hold accountable those who support and shelter such terror groups.

Violence against women and girls also deserves our strongest condemnation. Such women-targeted violence distorts the very basis on which civilized societies are founded.

Yemeni women, girls and children have already paid a high price in the conflict. Many have lost loved ones; others continue to be denied the basic opportunity to lead a life free of violence. This should end immediately.

Acts of sexual violence in armed conflict already constitutes an important criterion for designation of Security Council Sanctions on Yemen. The Council should also keep under constant review such crimes committed with impunity.

India has consistently held that greater participation of women in areas of conflict resolution, peace negotiations, peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding is a necessity for lasting peace and security.

In the above context, we welcome a positive role being played by Yemeni women to create an inclusive and peaceful environment in the country.

While the situation in Yemen is one of grave humanitarian proportions, the solution to it is political, which can be achieved only through a broad and inclusive political process.

We hope that all parties would eschew violence and fully co-operate with the Special Envoy in finalizing the Joint Declaration at the earliest.

To this end, we call for an implementation of the Stockholm Agreement of 2018 and the Riyadh Declaration of 2019.

Ultimately, establishing peace and security through a political dialogue is the only way forward in Yemen.

Thank you. Source: Permanent Representative of India to the UN

MULTIILATERAL ISSUES

GCC

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Conference: Panel Discussions on GCC-India, New Delhi, 10 December 2020.

Ministry of External Affairs is organising two virtual Panel Discussions on GCC-India on December 11, 2020 in the run up to the PBD Convention to be held in January 2021. The topics of these Panel Discussions are:

I. India and the Gulf: Leveraging energy partnerships, investment opportunities and emerging technologies for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’

II. Skill sets of the future for Indians in the Gulf

Shri V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs will chair the two Panel Discussions and deliver keynote address. About 15 eminent panellists from India and abroad will be participating in the Panel Discussions. These discussions would feed into the plenary sessions of the main PBD Convention scheduled to be held in January 2021.

The first Panel Discussion will provide a platform to discuss the ways and means in which the historic people-to-people ties and excellent political and economic relations between India and GCC could be used to contribute to the vision of a self-reliant India on the path towards a 5 trillion dollar economy. The discussions will also focus on the role that the large and successful Indian diaspora in the GCC can play in realizing this vision.

The second Panel Discussion will deliberate harmonizing of the skill sets of our workforce in keeping with the pace of technological developments and economic changes in the Gulf region. It will also discuss the various steps taken by Government of India to safeguard the interests of Indian workers specially those in the Gulf region.

The event will be live streamed on the Ministry's social media channels. The first Panel Discussion will take place between 1130-1330 hrs (IST) while the second Panel Discussion will take place between 1530-1730 hrs (IST).

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H.E. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani and EAM discussed strengthening bilateral economic and security cooperation.

EAM held detailed discussions with Deputy PM and Foreign Minister H.E. Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on bilateral as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. Both Ministers discussed ways to strengthen the multifaceted bilateral relationship in areas such as energy, trade, investment, food processing, healthcare, education, culture, defence and security. They agreed to maintain regular consultations and coordination on all issues of mutual interest at multilateral fora. EAM extended invitation to Deputy PM and Foreign Minister of Qatar to visit India for the first Joint Commission Meeting in 2021.

EAM interacted with the business leaders from Qatar, including the Chairmen and board members of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Qatar Businessmen Association. EAM appreciated their commitment for business partnerships with India and briefed them about new opportunities flowing from Atmanirbhar Bharat.

EAM held a virtual interaction with the Indian community in Qatar. He appreciated the contribution of the community in meeting the Covid-19 challenge. EAM visited the Ahmed bin Ali FIFA Stadium that has been constructed by Indian company L&T along with Qatari partners Al Balagh group. He also visited the Qatar National Museum. Source: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)

Remarks by Minister of State for External Affairs during the Panel Discussion on India and the Gulf: Leveraging energy partnerships, investment opportunities and emerging technologies for 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' at the PBD Conference, New Delhi, 11 December 2020

Secretary (CPV and OIA), Ministry of External Affairs, Shri Sanjay Bhattacharya

Secretary General of FICCI, Shri Dilip Chenoy

Esteemed Panellists from across the GCC

Our Ambassadors and senior officials in GCC

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to deliver this keynote address on how India and the Gulf countries can leverage their energy partnerships and utilize investments opportunities and emerging technologies towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. As you all know this panel discussion has been organized in the run up to the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2021 which will be organized next month. As such, one of our main goals is to consult prominent members of the Indian community in the Gulf on the topic and to connect the community with Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

You are all aware of the clarion call given by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for Atmanirbhar Bharat even as India was grappling with the Covid-19 crisis. The aim is to make India self-reliant and not self-centred or inward-looking. India’s global partnerships and connections will play an important role in realization of the vision of Prime Minister. We believe that India’s unique historic, close and friendly relations with the Gulf countries place both sides in a position to realize and benefit from an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

As Prime Minister has outlined there are five pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat namely economy, infrastructure, technology in governance, demography and demand. It is fairly intuitive to see that the Gulf countries and the Indian diaspora in these countries would relate to each of these five pillars. It is therefore not a surprise that Prime Minister Modi has attached the highest importance to India’s relations with the Gulf region. This can be gauged from the fact that since 2014, Prime Minister himself has visited Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE thereby strengthening our already strong relations with all these countries. We have also been honoured to host visits at the highest levels from several Gulf countries in the past few years. Many important agreements and MOUs have signed during especially in the areas of trade and investment, infrastructure, energy and strategic sectors and technologies. Our relations with UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman have been raised to strategic partnership.

Besides our strong and historic people-to-people ties, energy has been the mainstay of India’s relations with the Gulf countries. 53% of India's oil imports and 41% of gas imports come from the Gulf region. India will continue to need more energy - oil and gas based as well as renewable – for its development needs. It is therefore a matter of great satisfaction that in the past few years India and the Gulf countries have deepened their energy relationship and moved from a traditional buyer-seller relationship to a more robust partnership.

For instance, UAE for the first time offered Indian companies a 10% concession in the Lower Zakum oilfield during Prime Minister’s visit to UAE in 2018. UAE has also invested in the strategic petroleum reserve of Government of India. A similar agreement was signed with Saudi Arabia in 2019. We also look forward to investments from UAE and Saudi Arabia for the large planned refinery in Maharashtra. In Prime Minister’s telephone call with Qatar’s Amir on December 8, both countries resolved to explore Qatari investments in the entire energy value-chain in India. The Gulf countries have also been generous in helping India in ensuring oil and gas supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Movement towards alternative energy sources is leading to a new partnership between India and the Gulf in renewable energy sources. Collaboration in solar and other renewable energy sources will provide future energy solutions to both sides. UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman have become member states of the International Solar Alliance which was an initiative launched by India. We are hopeful that other Gulf countries will also become members soon. This will provide us an excellent framework to share experiences and best practices and launch joint projects in the field of solar energy. Both India and the Gulf countries have some of the largest solar parks and have shown leadership in utilizing technology to reduce solar energy cost. I am sure that we could similarly find opportunities to work together in other areas of renewable energy such as nuclear, wind, geothermal and hydrogen.

Atmanirbhar Bharat also provides a vision of India’s plans to become a 5 trillion dollar economy by promoting Make in India - Make for World. In this endeavour India will be dependent on attracting investments from its partners across the world, but in particular from the Gulf countries. The thrust will be on joint ventures in infrastructure and manufacturing, integrating into supply chains and tapping sovereign wealth funds. Some of the sunrise sectors identified by Government of India and which should be also be looked at by investors from the Gulf include food products, high efficiency solar PV cells, electronic and technology products, auto components, pharmaceuticals, telecom and networking products, speciality steels, white goods and advanced chemical cell battery.

I believe that food security and health security could emerge as big areas of cooperation between India and the Gulf. Indian doctors and nurses have already shown their mettle including in the difficult circumstances of Covid-19 pandemic. Another focus will be on innovation and start-ups, for entrepreneurial collaborations that are future oriented. The success of Indian start-ups in IT, e-commerce, hospitality, logistics and others can leverage higher growth and economic ties. The Gulf countries with their surplus capital, open economies and connections with different regions of the world such as Africa, Central Asia and Europe are well placed to partner with India in its quest. This is a win-win proposition for both India and Gulf.

We have already seen a quantum jump in investments from Gulf countries, both from sovereign wealth funds and large corporates into India. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority has emerged as a major investor in National Infrastructure Investment Fund (NIIF) and various Indian companies. Another iconic UAE company, DP World is also investing through NIIF and directly in ports and other companies. Mubadala from UAE is also looking at various opportunities. You would have all seen the announcements from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF in companies such as Reliance and OYO. Qatar Investment Authority has invested $600 million in two Indian companies. Kuwait Investment Authority has invested more than $3 billion in India. This provides only a snapshot and I am sure that we will continue to get more and more investments from Gulf into India. Government of India has already made special desks to look into investments from different countries.

It will also be up to the Indian professionals working in the Gulf to keep the decision-makers aware of the new opportunities in India. There are plenty of them today and these will continue to grow in future. On the part of Government of India I can assure you that our Government remains committed to further improve Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living in India. Government has already brought in path-breaking reforms in several areas of the economy including relaxation in FDI norms, manufacturing, taxation, banking laws, labour laws, mining and agriculture. We are confident that as normalcy returns after Covid-19 pandemic, we will go back on high economic growth path.

While leveraging investments from the Gulf, India should also look at using its own competitive advantage in the areas of technology and human resources. New Emerging Technologies, especially in ICT, Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, consultancy, fin-tech, logistics, edutech, healthtech and biotech have enormous potential. These will promote efficiencies and usher future growth and development. In some ways, we need to transform a segment of our economic interaction to an "ahead of the curve” partnership focused on technology collaboration, R&D and high capital-intensive projects that drive future oriented growth. In this endeavour, we can build on the complementarities between India and the Gulf. India can contribute technology, human resources and its large market while the Gulf countries can easily bring in capital and innovation.

Cooperation in high technology areas such as defence and space also has special potential to be stepped up. We have cooperation agreements in both sectors with many countries in the Gulf and we need to use them to forge close partnerships. With the increased participation of private sector in these areas, the potential for cooperation is much higher. In defence, we can expand equipment and armament export as well as collaborations under Make in India. In space, where we are world leaders, there is potential for training, fabrication and launch of satellites, use of satellite data and others.

Covid-19 caused unprecedented disruption across all sectors across the world but it has also shown our inter-dependence whether it be for energy supplies, food security, medical supplies or vaccine research and production. India and the Gulf countries have worked together to tide over this unprecedented crises. The Gulf countries took great care of the Indians in their countries especially during the time we had lockdowns in India. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Gulf leadership for their generosity. On our part, we also ensured that supply chains, especially on food and medicines, between India and the Gulf continue uninterrupted despite the lockdowns in India. We also made sure that Indian medical professionals are able to return to the Gulf countries.

While showing our inter-dependence, Covid-19 also showed that the world needs diverse sources of supplies in all areas and not be overly dependent on one or a few. I feel that India and the Gulf countries can together provide diversified sources whether in the field of energy, food or medicine. The challenge is only how we transform and gear ourselves to leverage our relations for our benefit and to the benefit of our partner countries on the way towards an Atmanirbhar Bharat and a 5 trillion dollar economy in the shorter term. I am sure today’s discussions will bring out some creative suggestions in this regard.

Thank you. Source: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)

As part of the policy, the MEI@ND standardizes spellings and date format to make the text uniformly accessible and stylistically consistent. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views/positions of the MEI@ND. Editor, MEI@ND P R Kumaraswamy