India's Jaishankar: Abraham Accords open doors for UAE-Indo relations

Speaking to WAM in Abu Dhabi, India's External Affairs minister ensured and enshrined its long-standing relationship with the UAE, although stating that it has not yet "realized its full potential."

India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar lattends a news conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, August 28, 2019. (photo credit: EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/REUTERS)
India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar lattends a news conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, August 28, 2019.
(photo credit: EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/REUTERS)
The Abraham Accords holds the potential to open up the market in India for the United Arab Emirates, India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said in an interview with Emirates News Agency (WAM).
While speaking to WAM in Abu Dhabi, India's External Affairs minister ensured and enshrined its long-standing relationship with the UAE, although stating that it has not yet "realized its full potential."
According to the report, Jaishankar noted that the normalization agreement between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates could thrust the latter into a strong position as a reliable logistics hub for the West Asian economy.
"There are a lot of areas that have not realized their full potential," the minister told WAM in an exclusive interview. "As you get to know each other better and work more together, the potential keeps growing."
Jaishankar goes on further to state that the normalization agreement will not just hold influence over the Middle East but also have a greater impact on the world at-large, as it will open up a myriad of logistical possibilities for economies to take advantage of, with the Middle East standing firmly between Europe and Asia, acting as its connector.

The recent normalization agreement promised economic cooperation and development between the UAE and Israel. This was chiefly expressed in the Abraham Fund, a mobilization of upwards of $3 billion targeting private initiatives and partnerships throughout the Middle East.

The external affairs minister also put emphasis on the importance of countries normalizing relations with Israel with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, claiming that its vital in order to ensure a position on the matter as it allows for direct input, otherwise the Palestinians' opinion risks falling to the wayside.
"At the same time, we have always been very supportive of the Palestinian cause. It is only those having relations with Israel who are in a position to go and tell them what we think you need to do. I think it will change many things," Jaishankar told WAM.
"India is committed to a two-state solution," he said. "We do believe that there should be direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine."