India signs cooperation agreements with the UAE, Czech Republic

India signed a slew of bilateral cooperation agreements with the United Arab Emirates and the Czech Republic at the Vibrant Gujarat summit. 

With the UAE, India reached agreements on healthcare, development of food parks, and renewable energy, while with the Czech Republic it signed a strategic partnership on innovation.

UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the chief guest at the summit. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Mozambique President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, and Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos Horta also attended the summit. 

The cooperation with the UAE has been particularly intense. 

India’s foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said the agreement on renewable energy would pave the way for increased cooperation on green hydrogen and solar power. The two sides are also discussing grid interconnectivity, he said.

“If you want to see one of the landmark transformations in a relationship between India and another country, India-UAE is a prime example of that," said Kwatra.

Progress has been made also on development of food parks in India, which was part of the I2U2 partnership involving India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States. In 2022, the UAE had pledged $2 billion in investments for the development of food parks at an I2U2 meeting.

Apart from agreements on healthcare sector and innovation with the UAE, a pact on logistics cooperation was also signed between the government of Gujarat and Dubai-based logistics firm DP World. 

At the same time, India and the Czech Republic released a strategic partnership on innovation. 

The partnership will focus on “sectors such as startup and innovation, cybersecurity, digital domains, artificial intelligence, defence, nuclear energy and circular economy," India’s foreign ministry said in a joint statement released after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

Prime Minister Modi also met with President Nyusi of Mozambique and President Horta of Timor-Leste.