West Asia conflict: India, UAE discuss energy ties, regional security

Jaishankar meets UAE leadership, thanks them for support to Indian diaspora amid West Asia tensions, as Pakistan eyes Qatar replacing UAE as creditor

The collapse of the US-Iran talks in Islamabad on Sunday vindicated South Block’s assessment that Pakistan, run by military and civilian leadership utterly pliant to Washington, was unlikely to be a credible mediator that Tehran could trust.

 

However, New Delhi, closely monitoring developments in West Asia, remained optimistic that future rounds of parleys between Iran and the US, including backchannel talks, during the tenuous fortnight-long ceasefire would yield peace in the region.

 

For India, much is at stake: crucial energy supplies traversing the Strait of Hormuz, the fate of its 10 million citizens living and working in West Asia — who send generous remittances home — and its major trade links with the region.

 

 

On Sunday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and “conveyed Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s message and India’s appreciation for the manner in which the UAE looked after” the 3.5 million-strong Indian community during the “difficult period” of the 42-day conflict.

 

Jaishankar sought to understand the UAE’s perspective on the conflict and discussed other aspects of India-UAE ties, including energy cooperation. “Obviously, India has a major stake and a big interest in the stability and security of this (West Asian) region. I am pleased to have an opportunity to come here, sit down directly, express our interests, and share the feedback of the Indian community,” he told a news agency in Dubai after his meetings with the Emirati leadership.

 

Jaishankar was on a two-day visit to the UAE, during which he also met Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Crown Prince of Dubai Hamdan bin Mohammed. The UAE foreign minister discussed with Jaishankar “the repercussions of the brutal and terrorist Iranian missile attacks that targeted” the UAE.

 

The UAE has emerged as India’s closest partner in the region over the past decade, and Jaishankar’s visit underscored New Delhi’s view that “friends should hold each other’s hand” during difficult times.

 

New Delhi has also remained engaged with Tehran. On Saturday, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced that the Indian-flagged vessel Jag Vikram, with 24 Indian crew members and carrying 20,412 million tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas, successfully sailed out of the Persian Gulf region on April 11 and is expected to reach an Indian port on April 15. India also sent a second shipment of medical supplies to Iran, the Iranian embassy in New Delhi said.

 

Meanwhile, Pakistan, which has teetered on the brink of bankruptcy and holds the dubious record of receiving International Monetary Fund (IMF) assistance 25 times, is set to receive $5 billion in financial support from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to a Dawn report citing sources in Pakistan’s finance ministry. The development coincided with Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s visit to Washington for the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings.

 

Recently, the UAE asked Islamabad to repay the $3.5 billion it owes in loans. The IMF has stipulated that Pakistan’s three key bilateral creditors — Saudi Arabia, China, and the UAE — must maintain their cash deposits with the country until the completion of the ongoing three-year programme.

 

Dawn reported that Qatar is likely to replace the UAE as one of Pakistan’s creditors. Pakistan has said it will repay $3.5 billion to the UAE by the end of April, a liability rolled over since 2018.

 

India steps up Europe outreach

 

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri landed in Paris on Sunday, where he will co-chair the India-France Foreign Office Consultations with Martin Briens, secretary-general of French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two sides will discuss bilateral ties in defence, civil nuclear energy, space, cyber and digital domains, artificial intelligence and innovation, along with the latest global and regional developments.

 

Misri will also visit Berlin, where he will co-chair the India-Germany Foreign Office Consultations with Geza Andreas von Geyr, state secretary of German Federal Foreign Office. Discussions will cover bilateral cooperation, including trade and investment, defence and security, technology, green energy, development cooperation and education, as well as global and regional issues of mutual interest.

 

Misri is expected to meet other dignitaries and senior government officials in both Paris and Berlin. His visit follows those of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron to India in January and February 2026, respectively, and comes amid the growing India-European Union (EU) partnership, including negotiations on a trade deal.

 

In line with the strengthening of India-EU ties, Austria’s Chancellor Christian Stocker will pay an official visit to India from April 14 to 17. His delegation will include Austria’s federal ministers for economy, energy and tourism, along with senior officials and business leaders. This will be Stocker’s first visit to India and his first official visit to Asia. PM Modi visited Austria in July 2024.