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- Dubai 05:07 06:20 12:29 15:54 18:33 19:47
Iran should come to the negotiation table and end the Abu Musa Island impasse at the earliest as the issue has serious ramifications on security of the region because 40 per cent of the world’s energy needs passes through this channel, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs said here today in Abu Dhabi.
He was addressing a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs along with SM Krishna, the Indian External Affairs Minister, who is on a three-day visit to the UAE.
Both the countries have signed key agreements on double taxation and consular issues, and will look at ways to improve investment in Infrastructure and energy sector.
Condemning the out-of- the-blue visit made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the UAE’s Island of Abu Musa, occupied by Iran since1971, Sheikh Abdullah said: “When returning to the negotiation table, we should have a clear agenda and there has to be a deadline for negotiations. And if the negotiations cannot help in reaching a solution, we cannot keep this matter going for ever.”
Underlying how "agitated" UAE is over this sudden visit, the foreign minister added that his government has taken up the matter with the ambassadors of the permanent members of the Security Council.
The UAE government has also summoned the Iranian ambassador to the UAE, and exchanged diplomatic notes to protest against the visit, which UAE considers as a violation of the agreement between the two countries, he added.
If the conflict cannot be settled through arbitration and diplomatic dialogue, UAE will take up the matter with the International Court of Justice, the minister said.
“Once again I call upon Iran cordially to listen to the voice of reason, and end this conflict that can have serious implications on both sides if not solved,” reiterated Sheikh Abdullah.
Taking questions from the media on the scope of improving investments in the energy sector for India, SM Krishna said, “Considering the kind of development we have, our energy requirements are correspondingly increasing. So we have to go in for greater imports of crude oil, gas and other petroleum products from other countries, and UAE is a country with which we have extraordinarily friendly relationship.”
Krishna added that India is looking at investments in Infrastructure to the tune of a trillion dollar, and that cannot be met from Internal financing alone.
According to him, discussions are underway with the UAE as to the various areas where investments can be expected.
“Looking at India’s developmental trajectory in the recent years, our GDP growth has been substantially increasing by seven to eight per cent every year except in 2008, when it dropped due to global recession. India has been one of the greatest importers of crude oil and gas from the UAE, and we are looking at ways to expand this cooperation to other sectors as well,” said the visiting minister.
India and UAE were each other’s largest trade partners in 2010-2011.
The bilateral trade between the two countries in the fiscal year 2010-2011 is estimated to have touched $67 billion, and is expected to touch $70 billion in the next year.
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