India, UAE sign pact on trade corridor from India to Europe via Israel

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today signed an agreement on a trade corridor that aims to connect Europe with India through parts of the Middle East by sea and rail, Reuters reports.

The announcement of the framework agreement, reached during a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Gulf state, was released in a statement by the Indian Foreign Ministry, although few details on what the sides had agreed on were made public.

“This would build on previous understandings and cooperation on this matter and foster India and the UAE cooperation furthering regional connectivity,” the ministry statement said.

The corridor, announced last September on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, aims to extend from India across the Arabian Sea to the UAE and through Saudi Arabia before connecting through Jordan and Israel to Europe.

The ministry’s statement, however, made no mention of any country apart from India and the UAE,.

The UAE foreign ministry did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on details of the agreement.

Modi met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who the Indian leader often refers to as his brother.

“Today, our region is going through a difficult time but because of our relationship with you, we are building a lot of hope and looking forward to a future with India that is on par with our ambitions,” Sheikh Mohamed said at a meeting with Modi, according to video shared on Modi’s YouTube channel.

The agreement comes as Israel carries out a genocidal bombing campaign in Gaza, which many have warned is an effort to rid the enclave of its Palestinians inhabitants to make way for Jewish settlement, in contravention of international law.

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