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Abraham Accords dividend: India, US, UAE & Israel foreign ministers to hold meeting
October 18, 2021
The Israeli Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, the United Arab Emirates' Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, and Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, will take part in a first-ever virtual meeting later today.
Billed as the "quad", the meeting seems to be a direct outcome of the Abraham accords of 2020. The accords led to the normalisation of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, with both sides opening direct commercial, telephonic links. The meeting takes place post 10 PM IST and details are set to be announced by the countries involved after it.
The UAE is the first country in the Persian Gulf to normalise ties with Israel. India has strong ties with both Israel and UAE in West Asia and since the accords were signed, they have worked in a trilateral arrangement.
In May, the three countries signed the first-ever pact that involves producing robotic solar cleaning technology in India for a project in the UAE by an Israel based company, Ecoppia. The trilateral partnership was initiated by the International Federation of Indo-Israel Chambers of Commerce (IFIICC).
The May release by the Israeli embassy in Delhi said, "Abraham Accords peace agreement signed between Israel and the UAE has certainly paved the way for friendships and business partnerships across the region. India, being a friend of both the UAE and Israel, is the preferred partner to leverage the global potential of the UAE, Israel, and India Trilateral. "
The estimate by the Israeli government pegs the innovation and international business potential of the 3 countries at $110 billion by 2030. The three countries are soon expected to focus on a mega connectivity plan that connects the Mediterranean to India via the Arab world. The foreign ministers of India, Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, and others are expected to meet in Dubai at the 12th edition of the Sir Bani Yas Forum in November this year.