The Indo-UAE Conclave 2025 commenced with an inspiring inaugural address by Aroon Purie, Editor-in-Chief of the India Today Group. In his remarks, Purie praised the UAE’s remarkable transformation, calling its progress nothing short of a miracle. He described the country as one of the most advanced and cosmopolitan regions in the world.
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00:00Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, friends from India and the UAE.
00:10Good morning and a very warm welcome to the inaugural India-UAE Conclave in the magnificent city of Dubai.
00:21I first came to Dubai in 1970, which is like 55 years ago.
00:28I was invited here to set up a printing press for the government.
00:32As you can imagine, there was very little here at that time.
00:37Even some of the government offices, I remember, were in cabins like you have in construction sites.
00:44Now when I see UAE, I regard it as one of the miracles of the world.
00:50The transformation of a desert into one of the world's most advanced cosmopolitan areas.
00:57Dubai and Abu Dhabi in particular.
01:01It is a symbol of what ambition, vision, leadership and technology can do.
01:08I congratulate the rulers of UAE, past and present, for giving this miracle to the world.
01:16For over two decades, the India Today conclaves have hosted leaders, changemakers and global voices to reflect on the India story.
01:27Today, that story is expanding its canvas from South Asia to West Asia and from the local to the truly global.
01:36We have gathered here to celebrate what we call India and the UAE.
01:41Two nations, one future.
01:44And what better city than Dubai, this bold, visionary metropolis that reflects the very spirit of transformation, connectivity and ambition that we aim to spotlight in the India-UAE relationship.
02:01Much like India, this country is diverse, dynamic and determined to define the future on its own terms.
02:10I firmly believe that the India-UAE story is one of the most underappreciated diplomatic achievements of the 21st century.
02:20We are here not just as observers of a bilateral relationship.
02:25We are here as participants in a growing partnership.
02:30One that has moved far beyond trade into shared aspirations, cultural embrace and geopolitical governance.
02:39India and the UAE share a relationship that is time-tested, multidimensional and future-ready.
02:48From flourishing trade to the growing cultural bonds, from political alignment to strategic convergence, this is a partnership that is not only growing but is evolving.
03:00India and the UAE have long enjoyed strong trade relations.
03:05The UAE is third-largest trading partner and India is the UAE's second-largest export destination.
03:12Bilateral trade has already crossed $83 billion and expected to surge past $100 billion within this decade.
03:21But numbers alone do not tell part of the story.
03:26We are moving beyond transactional ties into an era of transformational energy synergy.
03:33The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, as it is known as SEPA, has redefined the scale and speed of bilateral trade.
03:42Since tariffs are the hot topic of the day, here is an example of how to do it.
03:48Both countries have eliminated duties.
03:51The UAE has cleaned up 97.4 percent of the tariff lines, corresponding to 99 percent of imports from India.
03:58India has reciprocated by eliminating duties on over 80 percent of tariff lines, covering 90 percent of its exports in value terms.
04:09The trust is deepening and strengthening the friendship between the two countries.
04:14Cross-border investments are flowing across diverse sectors, from clean energy to fintech, logistics to AI, space technology and to food security.
04:27In the last 25 years, India has received a cumulative FDI worth more than $22 billion from the UAE, making it the seventh-largest investor in India.
04:39Like a true friend, India are betting on the story of the transformation of the UAE.
04:46We live in an area of globalization.
04:49It is being redefined.
04:51Multilateralism is on the retreat, and regionalism is on the rise.
04:56Great power rivalries have re-emerged in Eastern Europe, Indo-Pacific and West Asia.
05:02Amid this flux, the India-UAE partnership offers a rare constant – a relationship based on trust, pragmatism and mutual benefit.
05:15At the G20 summit hosted by India, the UAE was a prominent voice in forging a new economic corridor – the Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, otherwise known as IMEC.
05:28Connecting India to Europe via the Middle East, a project that is not just about infrastructure, but about reimagining supply chains, data flows and energy in the 21st century.
05:41In the climate diplomacy, both countries are collaborating to shape the green agenda, with India's renewables push and UAE's hosting of COP28, forming a timely convergence.
05:54The subsea cable will be an epitome of the energy friendship.
06:00The India-UAE partnership is not stuck in the past. It is leaping into the future.
06:06We are seeing innovation in fintech, digital payments and emerging tech and education.
06:12The India-UAE relationship is beyond economics. It is a time-tested cultural bridge.
06:19It is deeply cultural, emotional and human.
06:23Over 3.5 million Indians call the UAE their home.
06:27They are not migrants. They are stakeholders in UAE's growth.
06:32Bollywood thrives here. Cricket unites us.
06:36And Indian cuisine spices up Emirati's dinner plates.
06:42The UAE is home to the only Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
06:48India is home to one of the oldest mosques in Kerala.
06:52This is civilizational coexistence in action.
06:59India today is proud to host this conclave here in Dubai.
07:03We believe that meaningful partnerships thrive on dialogue, transparency and mutual understanding.
07:11In a world of polarized narratives and fractured facts, the role of credible journalism and forums like this become even more vital.
07:22This conclave is our modest attempt to bring that story into the spotlight.
07:27Not just to celebrate it, but build upon it.
07:31It is the beginning of a deeper conversation about what two ambitious nations can achieve when they trust, trade and think together.
07:41Thank you for being part of this journey.
07:44Let the dialogue begin.
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