India, France, and United Arab Emirates Form Trilateral Partnership

A woman walks through the solar pannels of a photovoltaic power plant installed by Generale du Soleil (GDS) and operated by Energ'iV SEML in a former landfill of waste, on Dec. 8, 2020 in Guignen, western France. (Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images)

India, France, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have formed a tripartite partnership in the energy sector, particularly in solar and nuclear energy, as well as in tackling climate change and bolstering defense, according to the nations.

The foreign ministers of the three nations discussed in a Feb. 4 phone call the roadmap for the trilateral initiative that will serve as a platform to expand their agencies’ cooperation on sustainable projects.

According to their joint statement, the leaders agreed to explore the possibility of working with the Indian Ocean Rim Association to pursue concrete projects on clean energy, the environment, and biodiversity.

“In recognition of the critical role social and human bonds play in their constructive partnership, India, France, and the UAE will ensure that this trilateral initiative will be leveraged as a platform to promote cultural cooperation, through a range of joint projects, including heritage promotion and protection,” the statement reads.

To support this initiative, the three nations will hold trilateral events in the framework of the Indian presidency of the G-20 and the UAE’s hosting of the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit 2023, respectively.

They also agreed to expand cooperation through existing initiatives, such as the UAE-led Mangrove Alliance for Climate and the Indo–Pacific Parks Partnership led by India and France, according to the statement.

The leaders also pledged to focus on issues such as single-use plastic pollution, desertification, and food security in the context of the International Year of Millets 2023 under the new initiative.

The three nations stated that the tripartite partnership also aims to promote compatibility, joint development, and co-production in the defense sector while enhancing collaboration between their defense forces.

They seek to strengthen exchanges of views on emerging threats from infectious diseases, as well as on measures to fight against future pandemics, according to the statement.

Indian ambassador to the UAE Sunjay Sudhir said the trilateral initiative was “very significant” for India, which has developed strong ties with both the UAE and France. The projects will focus on the Indian Ocean region, according to the statement.

“There are numerous synergies that can be brought out even better in a trilateral framework. That is the whole idea behind it,” Sudhir told Arab News.