H.E. Dr. Ahmed Albanna, UAE Ambassador to India, met H.E. M.J. Akbar, Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India to personally handover the letter of invitation for the Eighth Annual Sir Bani Yas Forum, to be held from 3-5 November 2017 in Abhu Dhabi hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in the partnership with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies(CSIS).

H.E. Dr. Ahmed Albanna mentioned that the forum seeks to engage its participation through expert presentations, one-on-one dialogue and panel discussions which provoke unscripted and substantive debates on a range of critical topics.

He further discussed about the  strategic committee meeting that will be held in 29 October 2017 to discuss the actions taken after the visit  of Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed to further build upon their close and regular consultations which began in August 2015.  During the visit the two leaders expressed satisfaction at the progress made in bilateral ties since both the visits and reiterated their common resolve to further intensifying and strengthening the constructive and wide-ranging India-UAE Bilateral Engagement.

The two sides reaffirmed their deep commitment in building a comprehensive strategic partnership, as agreed upon during the landmark visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UAE in August 2015 and reiterated during the last visit of Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed to India on January 2017, in order to elevate their multifaceted ties to an even higher and qualitatively new level based on mutual understanding and confidence in each other with the primary aim to ensure peace and prosperity of their two peoples.

Both the sides also discussed about the High-Level Bilateral Matters for the year. And praised the significant momentum witnessed in Bilateral Relations, after High Level Business Delegations visits from both sides.

H.E. Dr. Ahmed Albanna appreciated the support extended by Indian Government & Mentioned that the ongoing close cooperation on a range of various issues will remain a key pillar of the Bilateral Strategic Partnership. Acknowledging the importance of the ongoing bilateral cooperation for ensuring a conducive and peaceful environment for the progress and development of the two countries, the two sides agreed to further enhance cooperation in the various fields. In this context, the two leaders discussed in the length the upcoming strategic committee meeting in October.

The two sides expressed common resolve to bolster cooperation and exchanges between two countries and  lauded the work of both the countries on Investments.