India, UAE reaffirm joint commitment to fight against extremism, terrorism

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday reaffirmed their joint commitment to the fight against extremism and terrorism, including cross-border terrorism at both regional and international levels.

This statement comes after India and the United Arab Emirates signed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that will help bolster the strategic partnership and take bilateral economic engagement to the next level.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan separately held a virtual summit on Friday. They also issued a joint vision statement.

In the joint statement, the leaders agreed to enhance maritime cooperation contributing to the maintenance of peace and security in the region. "The leaders agreed to continue defence exchanges, sharing of experiences, training and capacity building."

Both the leaders recalled the importance of maintaining and strengthening peace in the Middle East. The leaders reiterated that dialogue and cooperation must be the cornerstone of a more integrated, stable and prosperous region, and India welcomed the outlook of the UAE in this respect, the joint statement said.

In the joint statement, the two leaders also agreed to support international efforts to maintain peace and security in the region and resolve regional conflicts, including efforts to support the reactivation of the Middle East Peace Process in line with the two-state solution and based on the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and previous agreements between the parties, the joint statement said.

It further said that the leaders "expressed hope that the Abraham Accords will contribute to regional peace and create positive change for the Middle East region."

"The leaders further agreed to deepen their bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism, terrorist financing and extremism. In this context, they emphasized the importance of promoting the values of peace, moderation, coexistence and tolerance among peoples, and stressed the need for all forms of terrorism, extremism, violence, hatred, discrimination and incitement to be renounced," the statement said.

In view of the recent terror attacks against the UAE, PM Modi reiterated India's full solidarity with the leadership, government and people of the UAE and offered condolences to the UAE over the victims of the recent terrorist act.

(ANI)