U.S., India, Israel And UAE To Set Up Forum For Economic Cooperation

The foreign ministers of Israel, the US, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and India have agreed to establish a forum for economic cooperation, Lahav Harkov reported for the Jerusalem Post.

Photo Insert: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a virtual meeting with his counterparts from India, Israel, and the UAE

The foreign ministers of Israel, the US, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India have agreed to establish a forum for economic cooperation, Lahav Harkov reported for the Jerusalem Post.

In a video conference on Monday evening, they agreed to meet in person at the Dubai Expo 2020 in the coming months. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid hosted his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Jerusalem for the quadripartite meeting.

“Synergy is what we are going to create, starting from this meeting,” Lapid said. “Synergy is what will help us work together on infrastructure, digital infrastructure, transportation, ports, trains, and maritime security.”

The ministers agreed to appoint a professional to form a joint working group on possible cooperation in these areas.

“The key to success is how fast we can go from ‘government-to-government’ to ‘business-to-business,’” Lapid said.

“How fast can we turn this into a process that will put boots on the ground to change infrastructure around the world.”

The meeting was “fruitful,” Jaishankar said. “Discussed working together more closely on economic growth and global issues,” he tweeted. “Agreed on expeditious follow-up.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “reiterated the Biden administration’s support for the Abraham Accords and normalization agreements and discussed future opportunities for collaboration in the region and globally,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

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