The Indian Armed Forces are working closer towards the UAE on a comprehensive strategic defence partnership collaboration in the backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions in the West Asian region. The development is coming on the heels of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s angry condemnations of the series of missile and drone attacks that have been allegedly launched by Iran against the Fujairah Port in UAE.
In the bold declaration, Modi showed solidarity towards UAE leadership and said the freedom of movement in the crucial Strait of Hormuz is vital. The area has been plagued by greater instability as a result of continued conflict, with hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones being shot down over the UAE by local air force claims.
The assault on Fujairah Port is being seen as a strategic attack since Fujairah and Khor Fakkan are outside the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman. The ports are important to world energy supply chains, particularly given the potential disruptions to oil transport lines into or through the strait. The UAE’s increasingly economic and strategic ties with Israel and other countries have also been a cause of the UAE’s strained relationship with Iran, according to analysts.
In this context, India and U.A.E are fast ramping up defence cooperation. In the recent visit of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to India, the two countries signed a Letter of Intent to put in place a Strategic Defence Partnership Agreement in six months time. Collaboration areas proposed are likely to include defence manufacturing, innovation, special operations, cyber security and counter terrorism.
The ongoing cooperation and collaboration between the two countries exemplify the shared interests and objectives of both nations in fostering stability in the region and deepening cooperation in security matters, particularly in an uncertain geopolitical landscape.