UAE, France and India discuss co-operation initiative

Foreign ministers spoke about collaboration in fields including energy and climate change

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, India’s Foreign Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs CatherineShow more

The UAE, France and India have issued a joint statement announcing the establishment of a co-operation initiative and its implementation.

In the statement, which came following a phone call between Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation; Catherine Colonna, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs; and Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s Minister of External Affairs, the countries said that the initiative will promote the design and execution of projects in fields including energy and climate change.

The ministers had first discussed this on September 19, 2022, when they met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and on Saturday they talked about this further, news agency Wam said.

During their call, the ministers agreed that the initiative will also focus on the protection of biodiversity, particularly in the Indian Ocean.

They will explore the possibility of working with the Indian Ocean Rim Association to pursue projects on clean energy, the environment, and biodiversity.

The countries will seek to ensure greater alignment of their respective economic, technological, and social policies with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

To support these endeavours, several trilateral events will be organised in the framework of the Indian Presidency of the G20 and the UAE’s hosting of Cop28 in 2023, respectively.

The ministers also agreed to expand their co-operation through initiatives such as the Mangrove Alliance for Climate led by the UAE and the Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership led by India and France.

They also talked about issues such as single-use plastic pollution, desertification, and food security in the context of the International Year of Millets 2023.

They discussed defence as an area of co-operation and efforts will be made to improve compatibility, joint development and co-production, and the exploration of training.

The talks also focused on threats from infectious diseases and measures to fight pandemics.

Technological innovation and ways to promote cultural co-operation were also discussed.