New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) India and the United ArabEmirates today held the second round of their strategicdialogue in Abu Dhabi to deepen cooperation in a range ofareas such as trade and investment.
The Indian delegation at the talks was led by Minister ofState for External Affairs M J Akbar while the UAE side washeaded by its Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr AnwarGargash.
"Deepening ties with a Gulf partner. MOS @mjakbar and MOSDr. Anwar Gargash from UAE co-chaired 2nd India-UAE strategicdialogue in Abu Dhabi," external affairs ministry spokespersonRaveesh Kumar tweeted.
Akbar arrived in the UAE yesterday on a two-day visit.
Officials said the discussions covered the entire gamutof bilateral, regional and international matters of mutualinterest.
The first round of the India-UAE strategic dialogue washeld here in January. The ties between the two countries areon an upswing in the last dew years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the UAE inAugust 2015, while Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamedbin Zayed Al Nahyan had come here in February last year and inJanuary this year.
The volume of two-way annual trade between the twocountries is around USD 53 billion. The UAE is India's thirdlargest trading partner. For the UAE, India has been thelargest trading partner.
The UAE is among the top investors in India in terms offoreign direct investments. It contributes significantly toIndia's energy security and was the fifth-largest supplier ofcrude oil to India in 2016-17.
About 2.6 million-strong and vibrant Indian communityforms the largest expatriate group in the UAE.
"This visit will provide a useful opportunity to furthercement our mutually beneficial bilateral ties with the UAE,"said the external affairs ministry had said on Friday. PTI MPBASKASK.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.