India Moves to Secure Regional Stability Amid Syria Coup: Jaishankar’s Urgent Meeting with UAE

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his UAE counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan are going to hold an important meeting in Delhi today. In this meeting, the coup in Syria will also be discussed along with further strengthening the already strong strategic partnership between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

There will be discussion on change of power in Syria

Jaishankar and Sheikh Al Nahyan will review the entire dimension of relations between India and UAE and focus on enhancing strategic partnership. This meeting is also important because it is taking place soon after the change of power in Syria. This will also be a topic of discussion in the meeting.

In fact, West Asia is at a critical juncture as tensions between Israel and Iran are rising on the one hand, while the situation in Syria is extremely unstable and Turkey is also attacking Syria. Bashar al-Assad has been given refuge in Moscow and Russia has lost its access to the Mediterranean Sea.

Jaishankar and his counterpart will discuss in detail the crises in the Middle East. At the same time, Jaishankar and Sheikh Al Nahyan will also hold talks on improving bilateral relations between India and the UAE. There will also be talks on increasing trade, investment, cultural and scientific relations between the two. After this, Sheikh Al Nahyan will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India-UAE relations changed due to PM Modi's visit

Let us tell you that in August 2015, Prime Minister Modi visited the UAE, which was historic as the bilateral relationship between the two countries was transformed into a comprehensive strategic partnership. The two countries also signed the historic Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or CEPA in 2022, which led to rapid trade and investment growth in both countries. The trade deal eliminated many tariffs and reduced other duties significantly. This increased market access in various sectors.

Jaishankar will also raise the issue of changing visa rules

Jaishankar may also raise the issue of cancellation of visa applications of Indians after the formation of new rules in the UAE in this meeting. Dubai's visa department has recently made strict rules for tourist visas, under which it has been made mandatory for passengers to provide hotel booking documents with QR code and a copy of their return ticket. For passengers staying with relatives, the latter need additional proof of accommodation. This has reportedly led to a significant increase in the cancellation of visa applications.