India, UAE pledge stronger defence ties at 13th JDCC meet; ink MoU on maritime cooperation
According to a release by the Ministry of Defence, the meeting was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and the UAE's Under Secretary of Defence Lt General Ibrahim Nasser M Al Alawi, who is currently leading a high-level defence delegation on a two-day official visit to India.
Both sides expressed satisfaction over the steady progress in bilateral defence engagements and agreed to enhance cooperation in key areas such as military training, maritime security, joint manufacturing, and technology development.
In a significant development, India offered to provide customised training programs based on the specific requirements of the UAE Armed Forces, the release stated.
"Both sides agreed to elevate defence ties to match the growing momentum in areas such as trade, investment, and people-to-people relations. The two sides agreed to enhance military training cooperation and discussed their respective training requirements. India offered to provide customised training courses tailored to the UAE's needs. They also agreed to cooperate on maritime security through the sharing of information," the release read.
The two countries also agreed to expand cooperation in maritime security through real-time information sharing and coordinated responses to challenges such as piracy, search and rescue, and pollution control.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between the Indian Coast Guard and the UAE National Guard to enhance cooperation in maritime safety, covering areas such as search and rescue, anti-piracy operations, and marine pollution response.
Highlighting industrial collaboration, the delegations discussed strengthening defence manufacturing ties.
The ICOMM-CARACAL partnership for small arms production was cited as a model for future joint ventures, with both sides exploring possibilities for co-developing next-generation defence technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, as well as shipbuilding, platform maintenance, refits, and upgrades.
In the run-up to the JDCC, both nations conducted the 4th Army-to-Army, 9th Navy-to-Navy, and inaugural Air-to-Air Staff Talks from July 28 to 29, which focused on enhancing training, military exercises, and Subject Matter Expert Exchanges.
The UAE delegation is scheduled to meet Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth on July 31 and participate in the 2nd India-UAE Defence Industry Partnership Forum. The forum will be jointly inaugurated by Lt General Al Alawi and Secretary for Defence Production Sanjeev Kumar.
India and the UAE share a robust and growing defence relationship, underpinned by the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landmark visit to the UAE in 2015. India's upcoming participation in the Dubai Air Show in November 2025 is set to further reinforce this momentum.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times of Oman
9 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Trump driven by certain kind of personal antagonism: Former diplomat on additional 25% US tariff on India
New Delhi: On US President Donald Trump's decision to impose an additional 25 per cent tariff on India over its purchases of Russian oil, former diplomat Anil Trigunayat on Wednesday called the move "irrational" and driven by "personal antagonism." "I think he (Trump) is continuing on this irrational path. This is driven by a certain kind of personal antagonism, more than any reasonable negotiation, discussion or policy," Trigunayat told ANI. He said Washington had limited leverage over Moscow due to low trade volumes and was instead targeting countries trading with Russia. "They can do very little to Russia. They do not have much leverage over them because they don't have much trade. So they've been trying to put the countries that are doing trade with Russia in a much higher bracket of tariffs," he noted. Calling the step "irrational," Trigunayat pointed out that talks between the US and India had nearly concluded last month. "The negotiations that were almost completed on 6th of July and both sides had arrived at some kind of formula and but that was not accepted by President Trump himself. So he asked them to go back to the board," he said. The former diplomat stressed that such unilateral action undermines ongoing discussions. "Now, once you are asking your team to go back to the drawing board, you must logically do not take the unilateral path of once again imposing sanctions. And then you just go ahead and talk about the 25 per cent additional duties, which he had been threatening, and India was expecting it," he added. Earlier, terming the United States' move to impose additional tariffs on India over its oil imports from Russia as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday declared that New Delhi will take "all actions necessary to protect its national interests." In an official statement, the MEA said, "The United States has in recent days targeted India's oil imports from Russia. We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India." "It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest," the statement added. "We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable. India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests," the MEA stressed. According to the order issued by the White House, Trump cited matters of national security and foreign policy concerns, as well as other relevant trade laws, for the increase, claiming that India's imports of Russian oil, directly or indirectly, pose an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the United States. After the order, the total tariff on Indian goods will be 50 per cent. While the initial duty becomes effective on August 7, the additional levy will come into effect after 21 days and will be imposed on all Indian goods imported into the US, except for goods already in transit or those meeting specific exemptions. "Accordingly, and as consistent with applicable law, articles of India imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25 per cent," the order stated. "This rate of duty shall be effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time 21 days after the date of this order, except for goods that (1) were loaded onto a vessel at the port of loading and in transit on the final mode of transit prior to entry into the United States before 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time 21 days after the date of this order," the order added.
Times of Oman
10 hours ago
- Times of Oman
"Philippines and India must continue to work to strengthen resilience of our world community": President Marcos
New Delhi : President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. of the Philippines, on a state visit to India from August 4-8, said that that the Philippines and India must continue to work to "strengthen the resilience" of our world community. He also emphaised global importance of India's role as "Vishwa Bandhu" (World's friend) and its impact on the people of Filipino. "When Prime Minister Modi assures the world that India intends to be 'Vishwa Bandhu', a friend to the world, we Filipino people feel his and the Indian people's sincerity. Looking ahead, the Philippines and India must continue to work to strengthen the resilience of our world community. Our diplomatic initiatives must buttress the current structures of global governance. These structures must withstand geopolitical shocks, remain incredible as providers of global goods and meaningful venues for nations to find common ground." President Marcos on Wednesday expressed sympathy for the victims of the Uttarakhand flash floods and reaffirmed the centuries-old friendship between the two nations. "The Philippines is on the cusp of upper-middle income status attainable as early as next year. India, of course, can be proud of its spectacular rise under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and the intellectual gravitas, innate talent, and industry of the Indian people rising to become the world's fourth-largest economy, and the country wielding enormous global influence as an emerging middle power," Marcos said. He said, "First Lady and I are elated visiting this country. As President, it is an honour to visit the largest democracy," while extending condolences, he said, "Allow me to express my deepest sympathy to the Indian Nation, especially to those bereaved who lost loved ones in the flash floods in Uttarakhand yesterday." Over the past two days, the Philippines' President said that he paid his respects to Mahatma Gandhi, "father of the nation, whose powerful ideas continue to resonate with the world over and continue to guide our lives." Highlighting his meetings with the Indian leadership, Marcos said, "I had insightful discussions with your President and, of course, with Prime Minister Modi and other eminent officials. We expressed support and solidarity in confronting terrorism and our grief over innocent lives lost to this scourge." He added, "We discussed our cooperation in defense and security, and more importantly, we explored with the capital civilian businesses the path towards mutual growth and new opportunities between the Philippines and India." Calling it a fitting way to conclude the visit, he noted, "This opportunity to share further reflections is the most fitting way to conclude this visit on the centuries-old and enduring friendship of the Philippines and the Indian people, the state of our Indo-Pacific region, and its complex challenges and uncertainties against which we must, as nations and as partners, propel forward." Marcos stressed that both nations remain "bastions of democracy" and are now "amongst the most ascendant economies," adding, "The Philippines is likewise determined to be a force for good."
Times of Oman
12 hours ago
- Times of Oman
US tariffs to impact $8.1 bn of Indian exports, overall economic effect manageable: PHDCCI
New Delhi: The US reciprocal tariffs will affect approximately USD 8.1 billion worth of India's exports to the US, while the overall impact on India's economy remains manageable, said an analysis by the Industry body PHDCCI. Analysis indicates that there will be an estimated impact of only 1.87 per cent on India's total global merchandise exports and a negligible 0.19 per cent on India's GDP as a result of the 25 per cent tariff announced by the US on India. The study added that the engineering goods could potentially be impacted worth USD 1.8 billion, while electronic goods (USD 1.4 billion), pharmaceuticals (USD 986 million), gems and jewelery (USD 932 million) and readymade garments will be impacted worth USD 500 million. In a latest development, on August 5, US President Donald Trump once again announced that he would increase the tariff charged on imports from India from the current rate of 25 per cent "very substantially" over the next 24 hours due to New Delhi's continued purchases of Russian oil. Trump had said on Monday that the United States will "substantially raise" the tariff paid by India for buying "massive amounts of Russian Oil", stating that much of the oil purchased from Moscow is being sold in the open market "for big profits." Trump's announcement, made on his social media platform Truth Social, came days after he announced a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff on India and an unspecified penalty for importing oil from Russia. Hemant Jain, President, PHDCCI, said, "The tariff challenge accelerates India's need for export sophistication and geographic diversification. Our strategy framework provides a roadmap for converting this disruption into an opportunity for long-term competitiveness enhancement." "While the 25% US tariff presents challenges, India's robust domestic demand and diversified economy provide resilience. Our analysis shows the impact, though significant in absolute terms, remains manageable at the macro level. This presents an opportunity for Indian businesses to accelerate market diversification and value addition strategies," said Ranjeet Mehta, CEO & SG, PHDCCI.
