By Shuriah Niazi
DELHI, India (AA) – The crown prince of Abu Dhabi was given a 21-gun salute during India’s Republic Day parade led by an Emirati contingent in New Delhi on Thursday as a gesture of growing ties between India and the U.A.E.
Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who also serves as deputy supreme commander of the U.A.E. armed forces, has been in India on an official visit since Tuesday and attended the parade as a chief guest.
While India showcased its military might on its 68th Republic Day at the Rajpath ceremonial boulevard, a 179-strong Emirati contingent, including 35 musicians and representatives from the presidential guard led the parade, Maj. Gen. Rajesh Sahai, chief of staff, told NDTV.
The Times of India noted the U.A.E. was the second country after France to send its troops to the parade. The Emirati contingent was followed by various units of Indian military, which also displayed its Mi-35 helicopters, Netra an airborne early warning radar helicopter, C-17 Globemaster, Su-30MKI jets and light combat aircraft Tejas at the event.
On Wednesday, India and the U.A.E. signed 14 agreements, including a comprehensive strategic partnership.
The agreements included a deal to boost India’s energy security by establishing a framework for the storage of crude oil by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
According to the Indian daily Wednesday, The Hindu, “The summit-level talks, however, fell short of clinching a major investment agreement for India, though the visiting Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the U.A.E. would further intensify ties with India.”
The Emirati news wire, WAM, quoted the crown prince as saying that ties between the two countries would get a major boost in the coming years after Wednesday’s signing ceremony.
"I am confident that the U.A.E.-India relations will witness major positive turning points over the coming years thanks to this strategic partnership agreement.
“This confidence was further cemented during my meetings with Indian officials, particularly my friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
Earlier, Modi in his official statement said: “We regard U.A.E. as an important partner in India’s growth story. I particularly welcome U.A.E.’s interest in investing in India’s infrastructure sector.
“We are working to connect the institutional investors in U.A.E. with our National Investment and Infrastructure Fund.”