Arab states, India explore ways to boost ties
- Last updated: February 2, 2026 | 10:55
The second session of the Arab-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AIFMM) convened in New Delhi on Saturday, co-chaired by the UAE, as Chair of the current 164th ministerial session of the Council of the League of Arab States, and the Republic of India.
The Arab side was headed by Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State, while the Indian side was headed by Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India.
The meeting was attended by several Arab foreign ministers, along with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.
The meeting explored areas of cooperation between Arab states and India, and adopted the New Delhi Declaration issued at the conclusion of the second session of AIFMM, as well as the Executive Programme of the India-Arab Cooperation Forum for the period 2026-2028.
In his opening remarks, Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State, affirmed that Arab-India relations are gaining momentum, underpinned by deep-rooted historical ties and promising opportunities for cooperation across a wide range of fields.
He also highlighted the strong relations between the UAE and India, which have made significant progress under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership since 2017.
Al Marar cited the recent visit of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to India on Jan.19, 2026, noting that the visit strengthened economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two countries, particularly in light of the success of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which increased bilateral trade to more than $100 billion during 2024-2025.
At the regional level, he reaffirmed the UAE’s support for international efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East and ending the conflict in the Gaza Strip, in line with the two-state solution and relevant UN resolutions, thereby safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people.
In this context, he underlined that the UAE values its role, as a member of the Board of Peace and its Executive Board, in advancing efforts to implement the comprehensive plan for the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, he reiterated the UAE’s commitment to ending the Iranian occupation of the three UAE islands - Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa- underscoring the importance of pursuing a peaceful resolution, either through direct bilateral negotiations with Iran or by referring the matter to the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the principles and rules of international law and the UN Charter.
He affirmed the UAE’s unwavering commitment to confronting extremism and combating terrorism in all its forms, as well as to countering hate speech, based on its conviction that extremism and terrorism pose a direct threat to security, stability, and development at both the regional and global levels.
WAM