Home World India-France-UAE Trilateral Focal Points Meeting convened Virtually

India-France-UAE Trilateral Focal Points Meeting convened Virtually

On 9 July 2024, the Second India-France-UAE Trilateral Focal Points Meeting was held virtually. Shri Piyush Srivastava, Joint Secretary (Europe West) and Shri Aseem R Mahajan, Joint Secretary (Gulf), Ministry of External Affairs, represented India in the meeting. Mr. Timothée Truelle, Head of the South Asia Division, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, led the French delegation. H.E. Mr. Saeed Mubarak Al-Hajeri, Assistant Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led the UAE delegation.

The three foreign ministries had agreed upon a Joint Roadmap in February 2023. In the latest meeting, the dignitaries reviewed the progress made by the three countries in all the areas of trilateral cooperation decided upon in the Joint Roadmap. They decided to expand the areas of trilateral collaboration, including multilateral cooperation, digital and innovation, economy and infrastructure, culture, education, energy and environment, and people-to-people exchanges.

According to Mr. Randhir Jaiswal, the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, India, “Discussions covered progress in trilateral cooperation as per the Joint Roadmap agreed in Feb 2023, including in areas of economy, infrastructure, innovation, energy, environment, culture, education & P2P exchanges.”

The three countries reiterated their commitment to build constructive relations among themselves through substantial initiatives in areas of reciprocal interest. They also agreed to meet regularly per a work plan to review their progress in all synergetic areas.

The Foreign Ministries of UAE, France, and India met for the first time in  September 2022 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly held in New York. They expressed a mutual desire to promote international prosperity and stability. They also wished to build on the collaborative relations among the three constructively. In that light, they agreed to establish a formal trilateral forum to strengthen cooperation in various fields of mutual interest.

According to a joint statement released at their inception, the trilateral forum was meant to promote the design and execution of cooperation projects in energy, particularly solar and nuclear energy. The forum had also decided to fight against climate change and encourage biodiversity protection, especially in the Indian Ocean region. Consequently, the forum explored the possibility of working with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) for biodiversity conservation, clean energy, and the protection of the environment. The forum has also served as a platform for the three countries’ development agencies to collaborate on sustainable projects.

India, France, and the UAE agreed to encourage an alignment of their respective technological, economic, and social policies with the goals of the Paris Agreement. It was agreed upon that their events would be hosted within the framework of the G20 and COP28. Furthermore, the three countries agreed to expand their collaboration through initiatives like the Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership led by India and France and the Mangrove Alliance for Climate led by the UAE.