Jaishankar Congratulates UAE's New Deputy Prime Ministers During Cabinet Reshuffle

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated UAE leaders Hamdan bin Mohammed and Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on their new roles as deputy prime ministers after a Cabinet reshuffle. The UAE has been a significant partner for India in recent years, with various agreements strengthening bilateral ties.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar extended his congratulations to the United Arab Emirates' Hamdan bin Mohammed and Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday for their newly appointed roles as deputy prime ministers following a recent Cabinet reshuffle.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president and prime minister of the UAE, oversaw the reshuffle, which saw Hamdan bin Mohammed assuming the roles of deputy prime minister and defence minister.

''Congratulations to @HamdanMohammed on his appointment as Deputy PM and Minister of Defence of the UAE,'' Jaishankar tweeted.

Meanwhile, Zayed Al Nahyan has retained his position as the foreign minister and has also been named deputy prime minister. ''Congratulate @ABZayed for being appointed as the Deputy PM and FM of the UAE. Will continue working closely to further strengthen India-UAE ties,'' Jaishankar tweeted in another post.

Zayed Al Nahyan has been instrumental in enhancing India-UAE relations, which have seen substantial growth over the past few years. The landmark visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UAE in August 2015 marked the elevation of relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

In February 2022, both nations signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and introduced a Local Currency Settlement (LCS) System in July 2023 to encourage the use of the Indian rupee and the AED for cross-border transactions.

The economic ties have flourished, with the two countries ranking among each other's top trading partners, achieving a bilateral trade volume of approximately USD 85 billion in 2022-23. The UAE also emerged as a leading foreign direct investor in India for the same period.

The Indian expatriate community in the UAE remains the largest, with a 35-lakh-strong and vibrant presence. The UAE was notably a special invitee for the G20 summit during India's presidency of the grouping.

In February 2023, the India-UAE-France trilateral was officially launched, and with India's support, the UAE joined international groups such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the BRICS.

India-UAE defence cooperation has also seen significant growth, including the first bilateral army exercise, ''Desert Cyclone'', held in Rajasthan in January.

(With inputs from agencies.)