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India-LAS Brief

India has traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations with the countries that form Leagues of Arab States [LAS] also known as Arab League. These relations dates back to ancient times when traders, scholars and diplomats would often traverse the Arabian Sea and the land routes linking India to West Asia and the Arab peninsula, transferring knowledge and merchandise. A shared cultural heritage, through the linkages of language and religion, continues to lend energy to these historic bonds.

  1. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22nd March, 1945, initially with seven members to promote the various interests of these nations. Currently, the League has 22 member states from the Arab world including countries from North Africa and Middle East.

  1. Today, the nations of Arab League are part of India’s extended neighborhood. India’s staunch commitment to deepen engagement with this region, shared views on major international developments, and strong economic and commercial relations, form the bedrock of India-Arab relations. Most of India’s external trade passes through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. There are vital Indian investments in countries stretching from Oman and Saudi Arabia to Egypt, Sudan and beyond. The India-Arab trade relations have withstood the test of the time. Even during the covid pandemic and global geopolitical conflicts, the trade between India and the Arab world continued to grow. Today, it stands at over USD 240 billion. The Arab nations cater to about 60% of India’s crude oil imports and more than 50% of fertilizers and related products, making our partnership robust and indispensable.

  1. The partnership with the Arab countries goes across almost every aspect of human endeavour such as Food & Energy, Financial Services, Health & Education, Information Technology, Renewable Energy including start-ups and large infrastructure projects.  Over 9 million Indian diaspora has made the Arab League nations their home and plays a vital role in the region’s progress and prosperity.

  1. To institutionalize the cooperation across the sectors following MoUs were signed :

  • An MoU for a regular and structured consultations between India and LAS in the identified areas of economic cooperation, was singed in March 2002, resulting in several rounds of consultations from 2002 to 2013 between the two parties. 

  • During the Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa’s visit to India in December 2008, a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed for the establishment of the Arab-India Cooperation Forum. In 2013, the MoC was revised to biennial Ministerial and annual Senior Officials meeting involving all 22 member states and the Arab League Secretariat.
  • Indian Ambassador to Cairo was designated as India’s Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States with Observer status in December, 2010.

  1. There have been several bilateral visits to further strengthen the collaboration and cooperation :
  • External Affairs Minister (EAM), Dr. S. Jaishankar met the Secretary General (LAS) Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and discussed further intensifying the engagement between India - LAS during his visit to Cairo in October, 2022.
  • EAM, Ms Sushma Swaraj participated in the First Ministerial meeting of the Arab-India Cooperation Forum in January 2016 in Manama, Bahrain. During the meeting, the Manama Declaration and the Executive Program for 2016 and 2017 were adopted, opening a new chapter in India-Arab relations.
  • In August 2015, EAM met LAS Secretary General and reviewed India-Arab relations as well as regional issues.
  • Dr. Nabil El Araby, LAS Secretary General, paid a visit to India on 17 December 2013. The visit resulted in singing of the new MoC and Executive Program to impart fresh impetus to the bilateral mechanisms.

  1. India's relationship with the LAS is multifaceted, encompassing diplomacy, trade, economic cooperation, cultural exchanges. An Executive Program has been adopted to outline various initiatives aimed at enhancing collaboration with the following key components:

  1. Senior Officials Meetings (SoM): Envisaged in the form of political consultations to be held annually at the level of Secretary/Vice-Ministers of the all member states and India. Till now three meetings conducted under this format. The first SoM took place in New Delhi in November 2014, with subsequent meetings held in Manama and via video conference in January 2016 and January 2021.

  1. Ministerial Meetings: Scheduled to be conducted every two years, these meetings of Foreign Ministers are to be preceded by SoMs. The inaugural meeting was held in 2016 in Manama.

  1. India-LAS Partnership and Investment Summit: This is a biennial flagship economic event with the participation of Ministers of Commerce and Industry of both the sides. The sixth India Arab Partnership Conference (IAPC) on “New Horizons in Investment, Trade & Services” was held in New Delhi in July 2023 with the participation of Ministers, senior officers and businesspersons from both the sides. The conference was inaugurated by Minister of State for External Affairs from India and Assistant Secretary General, Head of Economic Affairs Sector of the League of Arab States Headquarters.

  1. Arab India Cultural Festival: A biannual event to promote cultural exchange, to be held alternatively between India and the Arab world. The second festival occurred in Algiers in November 2014.

  1. Media Cooperation: Recognizing the importance of media’s role, initiative was taken to encourage visits and conferences to promote interaction between media houses/journalists of India and the Arab States. The inaugural Media Symposium with the participation of senior journalists and editors from both sides was held in New Delhi in August 2014.

  1. India-LAS Energy Forum: The 1st edition of the Arab-India Energy Forum (AIEF) took place in virtual mode in June 2021 under the co-chairmanship of India and the Kingdom of Morocco. The participants from a wide range of private and public sectors explored potential and challenges of cooperation in the fields of energy transition, intra-regional power trading, hydrocarbons, and nuclear power generation.

  1. Capacity Building Initiative: Under this initiative, special training courses for LAS diplomats have been organized at the Foreign Service Institute in New Delhi to enhance their skills to handle international relations. The first Special Course took place in July 2019, with 16 diplomats participating and the most recent course was attended by 21 young diplomats from LAS in August 2023.

  1. Celebration of International Day of Non-Violence: An event was organised in collaboration with LAS to commemorate 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, featuring a seminar and photo exhibition.

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Useful Links:

Manama Declaration (and Executive Programme) of the First Ministerial Meeting of the Arab-India Cooperation Forum(January24,2016): 

https://www.mea.gov.in/outoging-visit-detail.htm?26292/Manama%B1Declaration%B1of%B1the%B1First%B1Ministerial%B1Meeting
%B1of%B1the%B1ArabIndia%B1Cooperation%B1Forum%B1January%B124%B12016 

Remarks by External Affairs Minister at the First Ministerial Meeting of Arab-IndiaCooperation Forum (January 24,2016): 

https://www.mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl/26289/Remarks_by_External_
Affairs_Minister_at_the_First_Ministerial_Meeting_of
_ArabIndia_Cooperation_Forum_January_24_2016 

The Delhi Declaration-6th India-Arab Partnership Conference July 2023:

https://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/36786/The_Delhi_Declaration
_6th_IndiaArab_Partnership_Conference

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Address by Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri V. Muraleedharan at the Ministerial Inaugural Session of the 6th India-Arab Partnership Conference (IAPC): https://www.mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl/36775/address+by+minister+of+state+for+external+affairs+shri+v+muraleedharan
+at+the+ministerial+inaugural+session+of+the+6th+
indiaarab+partnership+conference+iapc

3rd Senior Officials Meeting of Arab-India Cooperation Forum:
https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/33384/3rd+senior+officials+meeting+of+arabindia+cooperation+forum

The first Arab-India Energy Forum (June 8-9, 2021) :
https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/33900/the+first+arabindia+energy+forum+june+89+2021

https://www.mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl/35020/Address_by_Foreign_Secretary_at_the_UNSC_briefing_on_Cooperation_between
_the_UN__Regional__Subregional_Organisations_League_of_Arab_States