Arab-India Partnership Conference 2012

Arab-India Partnership Conference 2012: "Development through Trade & Investment" was recently organised in Abu Dhabi amidst an ar of optimism. It witnessed 700 plus delegates from 22 Arab states and India. The outcome of the coference called Abu Dhabi Declaration has commended the role of Indian businesses in the economic development of several Arab states. Arab states want to see this role expand further. The declaration also affirmed that the next India-Arab conference would be held in 2014 in New Delhi.

The Arab-India Partnership Conference, 2012, had a special import this year because of the on-going fragility of the global economy. The need for global dependence and cooperation had never been so important. The conference reinforced the immense scope for closer ties and cross-border partnerships that India and the Arab region hold. The key economic strengths and opportunities in India, despite the slowdown, shores up optimism that this scope can be further nurtured.

India Arab Trade Relations

Of India’s total international trade, Arab countries account for over 20 per cent. Within the Arab world, India’s trade with the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, nations rose to $118.90 billion in 2010-11, and within the GCC, the trade with the UAE increased to $67 billion in the same period, making it India’s largest trading partner after China and the US.