India-UAE ties to deepen as world navigates complicated phase: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said the collaboration between India and the UAE on the international stage is set to deepen further as the world navigates a "complicated' and 'volatile' phase with the changing global order.

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar embarked on a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to further enhance India's comprehensive strategic partnership with the influential Gulf nation.

Speaking at an event organised to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India's Republic Day in Abu Dhabi, Jaishankar said, "The world has entered a complicated and volatile phase because the global order is changing for real. These are occasions when new opportunities arise, and true friendships are forged."  "As we contemplate the global scenario, there is much that draws our two nations together. I can confidently assert that our collaboration on international platforms will only get stronger," he asserted.

The minister underlined that the number of Indians who call UAE their second home has grown from 2.5 million in 2015 to over four million now.

Noting that 4.5 million Indians come to the UAE as tourists every year, he said, "These numbers speak of the warmth and cordiality that today characterises our relationship. To all of them, I would like to convey that enhancing ease of living is one of our priorities, as much abroad as at home."  Jaishankar said this decade has seen a "flowering" of India's ties with the UAE.

Listing some of the achievements of the bilateral ties, he said the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement has expanded trade and investment. Local currency trading arrangements and Fintech mechanisms have been a trendsetter. The BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi has emerged as a beacon of pluralism, harmony and tolerance.

"Our educational institutions have proliferated, the latest being the IIT-Delhi Campus in Abu Dhabi. And what is still in the pipeline - in a range of domains - has further transformational possibilities," he said.

Jaishankar further said today India has reached a stage where its aspirations are higher and confidence greater.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set out a national goal of achieving Viksit Bharat or Developed India by 2047. If we have embarked on that quest with strong conviction, it is because in the last decade, in particular, we have witnessed achievements that tell us what is possible," he said.

Sustained growth rates, embrace of digital technology, building a modern infrastructure, strengthening human skills and improving the quality of governance are amongst its notable features. India's efforts towards food, health, manufacturing and energy security have progressed, the minister underlined.

"In the 75 years that have passed, India has been able to achieve to a considerable measure the promises that we made to ourselves through the Constitution. This envisaged securing justice, liberty, equality and equity to all its citizens.

"Through that process, the progress and prosperity of our nation was to be advanced, even as its unity and integrity further strengthened. All this takes place in a democratic framework, which draws on the pluralistic and consultative traditions of our society," he said.