New Delhi [India], April 9 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with the Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Defence of UAE Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at South Block, New Delhi on Tuesday, as per an official statement from the ministry of Defence.

The two leaders expressed happiness on the current defence cooperation through institutional mechanisms, military exercises, exchange of training programmes etc, as per the ministry.

Both the Ministers acknowledged that defence cooperation needs to be scaled up to match the progress made in other areas such as trade and business, in line with the vision and determination of the two leaders - Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of UAE Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. They identified training exchanges as one of the key areas of defence cooperation which would enable understanding of each other's defence ecosystems and accelerate strengthening of bilateral defence ties, the statement added.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction on the active Coast Guard-to-Coast Guard cooperation and committed to further deepen it by formalising the same through an MoU. They were convinced that close collaboration between the defence industries should be an integral part of the bilateral cooperation. They emphasised on increasing defence industry collaboration and discussed opportunities for enhancing partnership in defence manufacturing, it added.

Both the Ministers acknowledged active participation from the two sides in each other's exhibitions & defence expos, and welcomed India-UAE Defence Partnership Forum which has the potential to result in strategic Joint Ventures and co-production projects benefiting both countries. They also agreed to focus on complementarities for the two countries in the Make-in-India and Make-in-Emirates initiatives, it added.

Through a post on X after the meeting, Rajnath Singh stated that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the UAE is of immense priority for India. 'In the coming years, we are eager to work closely in areas such as defence cooperation, co-production and co-development projects, innovation and technology. Both India and the UAE are committed to work towards peace and prosperity in the region,' he added.

The Defence Cooperation MoU with the UAE was signed in 2003, and an MoU on Defence Industry Cooperation was signed in 2017. India and the UAE have strong bonds of friendship based on centuries-old cultural and economic ties, it said. (ANI)