US, UAE exploring military collaboration and joint exercises with India
- In Reports
- 10:09 PM, Sep 24, 2024
- Myind Staff
The United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are exploring opportunities for military collaboration with India, including the possibility of joint exercises. This initiative follows Washington’s designation of the UAE as a "major defence partner,” signalling a strengthening of defence ties in the region.
In a joint statement released following a meeting between President Joe Biden and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the White House on Monday, the United States officially recognized the UAE as a “major defence partner.” This status had previously been granted only to India, highlighting a significant shift in defence relations.
The designation underscores the deepening security partnership between the US and the UAE, reflecting their collaboration in advanced technology and defence acquisition, as well as a mutual commitment to conflict prevention and de-escalation, according to the joint statement. This development is expected to strengthen defence cooperation and enhance security across the Middle East, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean regions.
“This unique designation as a Major Defence Partner will allow for unprecedented cooperation through joint training, exercises, and military-to-military collaboration, between the military forces of the United States, the UAE, and India, as well as other common military partners, in furtherance of regional stability,” the joint statement said.
President Biden and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed expressed their commitment to maintaining close and sustained cooperation between their militaries. India, the US, and the UAE are also part of the I2U2 grouping, which includes Israel and focuses on projects related to connectivity, food security, and renewable energy. The military partnership between India and the US has become increasingly robust, encompassing the joint development of military technology and equipment. Concurrently, India’s military and security cooperation with the UAE has expanded significantly in recent years.
President Biden and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed also discussed the advancements made on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which was launched at the G20 Summit in New Delhi in 2023. This initiative involves collaboration among leaders from India, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union.
They reaffirmed that the IMEC, which connects India to Europe via ship-to-rail links through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Greece, will “generate economic growth, incentivise new investments, increase efficiencies, and reduce costs,” according to the joint statement. Additionally, they agreed that the corridor would promote economic unity, create jobs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and facilitate the transformative integration of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
“They underscored that this transformative partnership has the potential to usher in a new era of international connectivity to facilitate global trade, expand reliable access to electricity, facilitate clean energy distribution, and strengthen telecommunication,” the joint statement added.
Work on the IMEC has been affected by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, leading many countries involved in the initiative to adopt a wait-and-watch approach. However, nations such as India and the UAE have continued to advance their work on specific elements of the ambitious corridor.
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