The Hindu : National : India ready for nuclear energy tie-ups with UAE

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Thursday, Oct 08, 2009
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India ready for nuclear energy tie-ups with UAE

Atul Aneja

ABU DHABI: Buoyed by the surge in its trade with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has touched an astounding $ 44.5 billion, New Delhi is looking at substantiating its ties with Abu Dhabi to cover areas such as defence and nuclear energy.

Visiting Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said at a press conference that India was ready to work together in the field of nuclear energy with the UAE, which he said was following a “creative and forward-looking approach” to cater for its energy security. He said India agreed that countries should not excessively depend on one single source of energy, but should include sources such as nuclear, hydro, wind and solar in their national energy matrix.

The UAE has decided to develop nuclear energy under full-scope safeguards, wherein it would use nuclear fuel processed abroad for power generation .

The UAE had emerged as India’s top trading partner , when trade in goods and merchandise was taken into account. The trade figures between India and the UAE were higher compared with New Delhi’s trade with China and the United States. India’s exports to the UAE stood over $23 billion, and its imports over $20 billion. Out of a total global contribution of $ 46 billion, remittances from the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries stood at $30 billion dollars over the last one year. The UAE’s contribution was $ 10-12 billion.

Asked to comment on military ties between the two countries, Mr. Tharoor said that a Joint Defence Cooperation committee was steering this relationship which included co-development of military hardware, including manufacture of certain types of ammunition, as well as military exchanges.

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