India deeply values the United Arab Emirates as a trusted and reliable partne: Pranab Mukherjee

New Delhi:26/1/17:Welcoming the guest President Pranab Mukherjee said that comingIndia’s relations with United Arab Emirates, a country to which we are geographically and culturally close, are deeply rooted in history. We have, in recent times, expanded our ties into a wide-ranging relationship of political, economic, energy, defence and security co-operation. It is a matter of immense satisfaction that we have, today, signed a Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and that we both desire to develop it to its maximum potential.
The historic visits of your respected father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to India in 1975 and 1992 and my predecessor, President Smt.Pratibha Devisingh Patil to the UAE in November 2010 had placed our bilateral ties on a firm footing. The landmark visit of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, to your beautiful country in August, 2015 and the return visit of Your Highness in February, 2016 have elevated our engagement to a level that makes us set our sights even higher.
India deeply values the United Arab Emirates as a trusted and reliable partner in India’s energy security. We welcome your participation in establishing our Strategic Petroleum Reserves. We seek a deeper energy partnership with you – in the form of joint ventures in refineries and petrochemicals projects in India , participation of our companies in upstream projects in your country and joint exploration in third countries.
The United Arab Emirates have generously embraced a large number of Indian expatriates and have encouraged them to flourish and prosper, for which we sincerely thank you. The positive contribution of this community to the development and progress of their host country has been well acknowledged and appreciated. We are confident of your continued support in ensuring their safety and well-being.
I take this opportunity to reiterate the urgent need for responsible nations such as ours to continue our collective efforts against the forces of extremism, terrorism and intolerance which attempt to weaken the very fabric of our societies. It is in our shared interest to work for peace and stability in both West Asia as well as South Asia.
Your Highness, our people value the friendship of the United Arab Emirates. We deeply appreciate your commitment to enhancing our bilateral co-operation across the board – and the personal contribution of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, in strengthening our relations to a close comprehensive partnership. We wish His Highness, the President, good health and a long and happy life.