Dispur (Assam) [India] June 24 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Abdulnasser Alshaali, the UAE Ambassador to India, held a high-level meeting to discuss strengthening ties between the UAE and Assam in several key sectors, including agriculture and food processing, education, innovation, logistics and connectivity, and sustainable tourism.

Ambassador Alshaali is on an official visit to Assam to explore opportunities for bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation.

During the visit, Ambassador Alshaali said, 'Assam is a key gateway to Northeast India and offers immense potential for partnership with the UAE across a diverse range of sectors. It was a pleasure to exchange views with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on how we can work together to unlock this potential. The UAE is keen to expand its partnership with this critically important state and to support its ongoing development.'

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said, 'Had the pleasure to host H.E. Abdulnasser Alshaali, the Ambassador of UAE to India at Lok Sewa Bhawan. UAE is keen to expand trade, boost connectivity and explore investment opportunities in Assam. We had a good discussion on how the North East could accelerate the close collaboration between our nations.'

Both discussed India's development of the Jogighopa Multimodal Logistics Park, which integrates road, rail, and inland waterway transport. Both sides emphasised Assam's potential in enhancing regional and cross-border trade connectivity between the UAE, India, and the Southeast Asian region.

It was further noted that the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) offers a robust platform for collaboration across priority sectors for Assam, including food processing, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, textiles, wellness, and handloom and handicrafts.

Since the signing of the CEPA on 18 February 2022, bilateral trade between the UAE and India has nearly doubled, from USD 43.3 billion in FY 2020-21 to USD 83.7 billion in FY 2023-24, driven by a significant expansion in non-oil trade, which reached USD 57.8 billion in FY 2023-24. These gains reflect the CEPA's success in diversifying the bilateral trade basket and advancing toward the bilateral non-oil trade target of USD 100 billion by 2030. (ANI)