UAE, India forge deeper energy ties at landmark Goa dialogue

The United Arab Emirates participated in the second Arab-India Energy Dialogue, held in Goa, India, as part of efforts to strengthen strategic cooperation in the energy sector between India and the members of the League of Arab States, and to explore opportunities for expanding partnerships in support of mutual interests.

The dialogue featured high-level discussions with the participation of ministers, senior officials, and experts, focusing on ways to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation and to explore new prospects for future collaboration across various energy sectors.

During his participation, Eng Ahmed Al Kaabi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Electricity, Water, and Future Energy Sector at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation in both conventional and clean energy, expanding oil and gas trade, and supporting long-term commercial partnerships, contributing to stronger energy security and more sustainable energy supplies in regional and international markets.

Al Kaabi also emphasised the UAE’s interest in expanding cooperation in renewable energy and clean technologies, supporting power grid integration, and developing manufacturing value chains for renewable energy components, in addition to encouraging investment in India’s growing renewable energy sector. He reaffirmed the UAE’s steadfast commitment to supporting international partnerships that strengthen energy security, promote economic diversification, and accelerate the transition toward more sustainable and resilient energy systems, in a manner that serves the shared interests of Arab countries and India.

Meanwhile on Friday Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), held discussions with Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Minister of Civil Aviation of India, on ways to enhance joint cooperation in the civil aviation sector and further develop the bilateral partnership in support of economic and investment growth between the two countries.

The discussions took place during a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of Abdulla bin Touq’s participation in the “Wings of India 2026” Conference, held in Hyderabad, India.

During the meeting, both sides highlighted the strength of UAE–India relations and their continued development across various fields, particularly in the economic and tourism sectors. This progress has been directly reflected in the steady growth of air transport activity and travel volumes between the two countries.

Bin Touq noted that air traffic between the UAE and India continues to witness strong momentum, with approximately 1,231 direct flights operating weekly between cities in both countries, operated by national carriers on both sides. This reflects the high level of demand and the strength of air connectivity between the two nations.

He added, “India accounted for the largest share of visitors to the UAE, making up 14% of all international arrivals. This reflects the UAE’s strong standing in the Indian market and underscores the depth of tourism and economic ties between the two countries, as well as the success of the UAE’s flexible national tourism policies in attracting visitors from this vital market.”

He further explained that this momentum in the aviation and tourism sectors is a natural outcome of the strong economic partnership between the UAE and India, stressing the importance of continuing coordination and joint cooperation to support the growth of travel movement and enhance air connectivity in a manner that serves the interests of both countries and their peoples.

The meeting comes as part of the mutual keenness to expand areas of cooperation in the aviation sector, in line with the rapid growth of bilateral relations, and to support economic development while enhancing air transport and travel between the two countries.

Meanwhile the UAE-India Business Council has launched its 2026 programme to support strategic cooperation between the two nations, building on the strong momentum achieved last year.

The roadmap focuses on three key pillars: knowledge building, strategic facilitation and direct engagement. It includes the preparation of applied policy papers on artificial intelligence integration, infrastructure, the role of sovereign wealth funds, consumer behaviour and supply chains, in addition to joint projects in Africa. In 2025, the Council organised the inaugural India-UAE: Partners in Progress Conclave, bringing together senior policymakers, investors and business leaders, and held a closed-door strategic meeting in Dubai with India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, reinforcing policy alignment and shared economic priorities.

The Council also reported progress on the UAE-India Friendship Hospital, alongside efforts to support social infrastructure and healthcare, and to advance its education and community agenda through the DREAM School in Kashmir, aimed at expanding access to education and skills development.

WAM