During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s May 15 visit to the UAE, the two sides agreed on the framework for a strategic defense partnership, while also signing deals on strategic petroleum reserves, Indian purchases of liquefied petroleum gas, and treaties on security and artificial intelligence.
The two sides agreed to a bilateral trade target of $200 billion, which is roughly double the current amount.
The strategic defense partnership as well as the security and AI treaties signal a shift in bilateral relations, which until now had been revolving around trade in oil.
While a preliminary deal was recently reached to end hostilities, the conflict still showed how vulnerable the UAE’s infrastructure and economy are to Iranian reprisals and how Abu Dhabi’s dependence on Washington’s increasingly unreliable security commitments has not paid off as expected.
