India and the UAE will attempt to diversify their close energy and political ties by undertaking projects in third countries for the first time, said sources here.

The UAE has emerged as a close Indian ally in the five years of Modi government by standing steadfast in asking then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to address an Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) meet during the tense Pulwama-Balakot standoff with Pakistan, extraditing economic offenders and mafia bosses to India and participating in beefing up India’s energy security.

“This MoU is the first of its kind as it is south-south government cooperation rather than the traditional north-south cooperation as in the case of Indo-Japan cooperation on the hospital in Kenya,’’ Economics Relations Secretary T S Turumurti had then said.

Talks on third country projects with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan who will be here from July 7 to 9 basically expand a memorandum of cooperation signed by Swaraj in December 2018 during her visit to Dubai.

This will be India’s second third country project after the Indo-Japanese venture to set up a hospital in Kenya.
“The present visit would provide the two sides with an opportunity to explore new areas of cooperation to further strengthen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” said an MEA statement.

India and the UAE will also discuss the sovereign wealth fund where Dubai is seeking tax concessions as well as issues relating to the second strategic oil storage at Padur in Karnataka and the new location of a gigantic $ 44 billion refinery to be built with UAE and Saudi funds.

He recalled that the UAE-India partnership got a boost with PM Modi’s visit to the UAE in 2015 during which the two countries decided to elevate their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

ALBanna said the PM again visited the UAE three years later while Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India during 2016 and then again in 2017 as Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations.