The United Arab Emirates (UAE), the French Republic and the Republic of India have issued a joint statement announcing the establishment of a trilateral cooperation initiative and the roadmap to begin its implementation.
In the statement, which came following a discussion between H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ms. Catherine Colonna, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s Minister of External Affairs, the three countries affirmed that the trilateral initiative will serve to promote the design and execution of cooperation projects in various fields, including energy and combatting climate change.
The initiative will also serve as a platform to expand cooperation between the three countries’ development agencies on sustainable projects, as well as to organize a range of trilateral events in the framework of the Indian Presidency of the G20 and the UAE’s hosting of COP28 in 2023.
The decision was first made on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the three nations shared their desire to promote international stability and prosperity, and to further build upon the constructive and collaborative ties that exist between them.
The trilateral initiative will serve as a forum to promote the design and execution of cooperation projects in the fields of energy, with a focus on solar and nuclear energy, as well as in the fight against climate change and the protection of biodiversity, particularly in the Indian Ocean region. For this purpose, the three countries will explore the possibility of working with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to pursue concrete, actionable projects on clean energy, the environment, and biodiversity.
It was further noted that the trilateral initiative will serve as a platform to expand cooperation between the three countries’ development agencies on sustainable projects. Furthermore, it was agreed that the three countries will seek to ensure greater alignment of their respective economic, technological, and social policies with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
The three countries also agreed to expand their cooperation through initiatives such as the Mangrove Alliance for Climate led by the UAE and the Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership led by India and France. It was agreed to focus on key issues such as single-use plastic pollution, desertification, and food security in the context of the International Year of Millets-2023. The three sides also underlined their keen desire to cooperate in the field of circular economy under the aegis of India’s Mission LiFE.
It was acknowledged that defense is an area of close cooperation between the three countries. Therefore, efforts will be undertaken to further promote compatibility, and joint development and co-production, whilst seeking out avenues for further collaboration and training between the three countries’ defense forces.
Tri-parties will also seek to strengthen exchanges of views on emerging threats from infectious diseases, as well as on measures to fight against future pandemics. In this regard, cooperation in multilateral organizations such as World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi-the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund, and Unitaid will be encouraged.
Further, the three countries will attempt to identify tangible cooperation in implementing the “One Health” approach, and support the development of local capacities in biomedical innovation and production within developing countries.
