New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is set to visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 11 to 12 April, just days after a temporary halt in hostilities between the United States, Israel, and Iran was announced. The conflict, which has severely disrupted regional stability and global energy markets, has directly impacted India’s key energy partners like the UAE, exposing vulnerabilities in infrastructure and supply.
As tensions linger despite the ceasefire announcement, Jaishankar’s visit is expected to “review close cooperation and deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership” and to discuss energy security and regional developments. The visit is also expected to provide a strategic assessment of the evolving security situation and an effort to reiterate India’s energy and geopolitical interests in the region.
The UAE has faced the brunt of Iran’s retaliation, after the US and Israel struck at Tehran on the last day of February, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“During the visit, EAM will meet the leadership of the UAE to review close cooperation and deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in its statement Wednesday.
The ceasefire was announced by Trump and Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi early Wednesday morning (IST). The two-week ceasefire is also expected to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, thereby easing pressures on global energy markets. The UAE has had to temporarily halt operations at the Habshan gas field at least twice in the last five weeks, due to Iranian strikes.
Jaishankar’s visit to the UAE is expected to lead to taking stock of the situation for the Emiratis as well as gain a sense of the longevity of the ceasefire and negotiations towards a lasting peace settlement. Jaishankar is expected to meet a number of senior Emirati officials over the course of the visit. Earlier last month, the UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy made a one-day visit to New Delhi and met with Jaishankar as well as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
India Wednesday welcomed the “ceasefire reached and hoped that it will lead to a lasting peace in West Asia.” The conflict has left thousands dead in Iran, while Indian seafarers were the main casualties of Iran’s strikes against merchant ships during the early stages of the war.
“The conflict has already caused immense suffering to people and disrupted global energy supply and trade networks. We expect that unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce would prevail through the Strait of Hormuz,” added the Ministry of External Affairs’ statement on the two-week ceasefire.
Global oil prices have fallen since the announcement of the ceasefire to below $100 a barrel. It was trading well over $100 a barrel for the last few weeks. Iran’s retaliation to strikes on its energy infrastructure included targeted hits at natural gas production facilities in Qatar and the UAE.
The damage to Qatar’s LNG production is set to impact around 17 per cent of the country’s exports. India is a large importer of LNG from Qatar. Similarly, Indian petroleum companies have signed long term deals with the UAE for energy supplies, all of which have been impacted by the ongoing war.
Trump Tuesday acknowledged that Iran’s 10 point proposal for negotiations had “workable” solutions. The ceasefire was brokered by Pakistan, along with Egypt, Türkey and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan has invited interlocutors from both the US and Iran to Islamabad on 10 April to begin direct negotiations between the two countries.
The visit to the UAE is the second leg of Jaishankar’s travel. He will depart New Delhi Thursday for Mauritius and will attend the Indian Ocean Conference organised by India Foundation and the Government of Mauritius, apart from meeting with the leadership of the east African nation.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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