The two leaders have met three times in the last 18 months, each meeting more full of warmth than the previous one. While bilateral ties have been robust for decades, the defence and security partnership is clearly the new driver for ties between the two governments; the signing of the strategic partnership agreement was the highlight of the UAE leader’s visit. Strong words are no substitute for action, however, and the strategic partnership that India envisions with the UAE must be based on clarity and concrete measures. The delay resulted in the memorandum of understanding for investment of a possible $75 billion over 10 years falling through. Personalised leader-to-leader bilateral diplomacy is a great conversation-starter, but not sufficient to energise ties.

Source: The Hindu January 27, 2017 18:56 UTC