India, France and UAE unveil plan for cooperation under trilateral framework

New Delhi: India, France and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday unveiled an ambitious roadmap for cooperation in a plethora of areas including defence, energy and technology under a trilateral framework, a move that comes amid the geopolitical turmoil triggered by the conflict in Ukraine.

The plan was finalised during a phone conversation among External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, his French counterpart Catherine Colonna and UAE’s Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

A joint statement said it was acknowledged that defence is an area of close cooperation between the three countries.

“Therefore, efforts will be undertaken to further promote compatibility, and joint development and co-production, whilst seeking out avenues for further collaboration and training between the three countries’ defence forces,” it said.

India, France and the UAE also agreed to boost cooperation in food security and circular economy and vowed to focus on key issues such as single-use plastic pollution and desertification.

The trilateral initiative will serve as a platform to expand cooperation between the development agencies of the three counties on sustainable projects besides ensuring greater alignment of their respective economic, technological, and social policies with the objectives of the Paris climate agreement, according to the statement.

There has been an upswing in India’s bilateral engagement with France as well as the UAE.

The three foreign ministers met on September 19 last year for the first time in a trilateral format on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.

In the meeting, they agreed to establish a formal trilateral cooperation initiative, with the aim of expanding cooperation in various fields of mutual interest.

“It is in this context that a phone call between the three Ministers was held today to adopt a roadmap for the implementation of this initiative,” the statement said.

In a tweet, Jaishankar said they took forward discussions on projects that will benefit the region.