Blitz Bureau
INDIA and the United Arab Emirates reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral defence cooperation during the 13th India-UAE Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting held in New Delhi on July 30. The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and UAE’s Under Secretary of Defence Lieutenant General Ibrahim Nasser Alawi, head of a high-level defence delegation.
During the meeting, both sides agreed to elevate defence ties to match the growing momentum in areas such as trade, investment, and social relations. They also 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 real-time information sharing. The potential for co-developing next-generation defence technologies in emerging areas such as Artificial Intelligence was also discussed, alongside opportunities in shipbuilding, refits, upgrades, and maintenance of common platforms.
During the meeting, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the United Arab Emirates National Guard Command on July 30 signed an agreement on Maritime Security and Safety Cooperation. Aimed at enhancing bilateral maritime cooperation and contributing to a safe, secure, and sustainable maritime environment in the region, this is the 10th such agreement with Coast Guard agencies of Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs). It aims to strengthen professional linkages between the two Coast Guards across core functions, including Maritime Search and Rescue (M-SAR), combating transnational maritime crimes, Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE), Marine Pollution Response (MPR) and Joint capacity building. In a statement, the ICG said.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Director General of Indian Coast Guard Paramesh Sivamani and UAE Commander of the Coast Guard Group Brigadier Staff Khalid Obaid Shamsi.
