What India, Saudia, UAE look to gain from Gen. Naravane trip

New Delhi; 10 Dec 2020 -In a major boost to the strategic ties between India and the Gulf countries in the space of defence and national security, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General MM Naravane on Tuesday left on a six-day tour of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.This is the first-ever trip by a Chief of Indian Army to the two Gulf countries.

Indian media reports say General Naravane’s visit is viewed as a reflection of India’s progressive strategic ties with both countries, and this trip is expected to further open up fresh avenues for cooperation in defence and security.

The Army Chief’s visit comes in the backdrop of some really massive developments in the Gulf region, such as normalisation of Israel’s relations with Arab countries and the tense situation arising from the assassination of Iran’s top nuclear weapons scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

The COAS’ first pit stop will be the United Arab Emirates where he is set to meet senior military officials and discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in the defence sector.

“General MM Naravane, the Chief of Army Staff has proceeded on a visit to the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from December 9 to 14. During the visit, he will be meeting his counterparts and senior military leadership of these countries. The visit is historic in the sense that it will be the first time an Indian Army Chief is visiting the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the Army said in a statement.

“India and UAE top the list when it comes to defence imports. Both countries are focusing on developing their indigenous capability and this is an area that they can collaborate on,” a source said.

Both countries are already in talks with each other for a possible Make in India route for the supply of carbines to the Indian Army, a contract of which was won by the state-owned UAE firm Caracal.

Regarding KSA, the Indian sources say “There are a number of proposals on the table. The military authorities will talk and come back with concrete proposals that would then be taken up by the government of both countries,” a second source said.

Gen. Naravane’s visit comes at a time when there is a lot of churning within the Islamic world, from attempts by the UAE and Saudi to ease ties with Israel to Pakistan trying to create an alternative bloc.

It is also at a time Pakistan’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, once its strongest ally, has hit turbulence.

Decades of close military, political and economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan plummeted in August this year when the South Asian country’s foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, criticised Riyadh for failing to call a special meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on the Kashmir issue.

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s visit to Saudi Arabia in August, to ease the diplomatic strain between the countries, ended with him being denied a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

As it stands, Pakistan’s former army chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif, heads a Saudi Arabia-led Islamic military coalition.

At the moment, the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan are also working to normalise relations with Israel.

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