India and the UAE have their 14th Joint Commission Meeting to discuss establishing an IIT in the UAE and linking payment platforms.

For the 14th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting, Union Minister for External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar visited UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Thursday (JCM).

The United Payment Interface (UPI) of India was one option that the two ministers discussed at their joint meeting for connecting quick payment platforms in any nation.

The ministers evaluated the development of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, it was disclosed that negotiations advanced with the formation of a Joint Working Group comprising institutions on both sides.

Dr. Jaishankar and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan reaffirmed their commitment throughout the meeting to attaining the target of $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2027.

Additionally, they evaluated the growing amount of investments made by the UAE in India.

They also looked over the developments in a number of areas of bilateral cooperation that were mentioned in the two presidents' approved vision statements.

The two ministers also talked about green hydrogen and renewable energy. They also went through ongoing discussions regarding collaboration in the fields of healthcare, education, and food security, including the I2U2 framework.

Teams from India and the UAE have previously visited Kenya and Tanzania to look for potential collaborations in the health sector.

Both ministers have signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard and the Lesser Florican between the Wildlife Institute of India and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation.

Another Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Establishment of the India-UAE Cultural Council Forum was signed between the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

According to a press release from the Ministry of External Affairs, both ministers expressed their joy at the introduction of the historic Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in May of this year and also praised the growing closeness between India and the UAE in various multilateral forums and international organizations, in particular in the UN Security Council in 2022.

They also pointed out that high-level political exchanges between the two sides have been more frequent, particularly the February, June, and July meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Senior officials from both sides joined the two ministers, along with the UAE's Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and the Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra.