What the Israel-UAEBahrain accord means for India and the world
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Ron Malka is Israel’s ambassador to India The views expressed are personal
The peace agreement between Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain is a historic moment that brings together the most advanced states in West Asia for the good of humanity. Combining forces and finding common ground has never been more urgent than now, in the midst of a pandemic, and the Abraham Accord is set to generate immediate results. This historic agreement also brings opportunities for India, which enjoys strong bilateral relations with these developed and thriving economies. India will benefit greatly by expanding its cooperation in many areas including health care, energy, agriculture, cyber security, regional security, technology, water and more.
The leaders of Israel, the United States (US) and the UAE hailed the agreement as a “historic diplomatic breakthrough that will advance peace in the Middle East”, “chart a new path”, and “unlock the great potential in the region”. India’s ministry of external affairs praised the agreement between Israel and the UAE, defining both as “key strategic partners of India”. The scope for successful collaboration among the three countries is huge. For example, the health ministers of both Israel and the UAE have already agreed to cooperate on health issues, particularly on the coronavirus. Meanwhile, Israel and India have also been cooperating on joint research and development for rapid testing of Covid-19, as well as new technologies to combat the pandemic.
Developing together, and subsequently utilising the significant relative advantage of India in manufacturing, can bring promising results for the sake of humanity and the whole world, as well as harmonising with the great vision of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi of “Making in India, for India, and for the world”.
While business delegations and a student exchange programme are being planned, the UAE and Israel have also committed to working together on medical research and pharmaceuticals, collaborating particularly in the development of treatments and vaccine