NEW DELHI: India, UAE together are going to set up a cultural forum - Emirati India Cultural Council-which will strengthen ties between the two countries and create opportunities for cultural cooperation. This will be facilitated by the International Cooperation of UAE and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
"I look forward to the continued advancement of our cultural relations, including through the UAE’s initiatives, such as the ‘Zayed Gandhi Digital Museum’, which honours the values of the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as well as celebrating the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth,’’ said UAE’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdulla bin Zayed Al Nahyan adding that the two nations have shared values and customs and bonds of friendship that have grown stronger in the last five decades.
This was a part of the two MoUs signed between the two countries during the 14th India UAE Joint Commission Meeting that was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar and Sheikh Abdullah. India’s foreign secretary, Vinay Kwatra was a part of the delegation too.
The second MoU was signed between the Wildlife Institute of India and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation for the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard and the Lesser Florican. Both leaders also spoke about promoting start-ups and entrepreneurship across different fields like fintech, edutech, health tech, agritech, logistics and supply chains. They also spoke about the possibility of linking instant payment platforms in their respective countries through the United Payment Interface
(UPI) of India.
Meanwhile, India and UAE who signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) earlier this year are working towards realising the target of achieving $100 billion worth of bilateral trade in the next five years. The next meeting of the High-Level Task Force between the two nations will be held
in India shortly.