GCC eyes strategic partnership with India

[LETHALFORCE]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...artnership-with-India/articleshow/6768216.cms

DUBAI: India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will form an action plan for a strategic partnership to forge ahead cooperation in several areas including security, defence, education, culture and economy.

This was decided at the final meeting of the India-GCC Strategic Partnership Study Group held in Riyadh, a news report has said.

Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Talmiz Ahmad said that the meeting on Saturday concluded with a set of decisions on security, defense, politics, employment of foreign labor, education, culture, economy and others areas of cooperation.

A similar meeting was held in Dubai two years ago. "The study was the outcome of years of research between the two groups," Ahmad was quoted by Arab News as saying. He also said that it will be documented in book form.

Ahmad also recalled the recent visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the Kingdom which paved the way for the Riyadh Declaration.

"India has always stood for the cause of the Arabs, particularly the issue of Palestine," GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah said at the inaugural session of the meeting held at the GCC headquarters in Riyadh.

The Indian team was led by Leela Ponappa, a former ambassador, former deputy security adviser and secretary to the National Security Council of India.

Ambassador Khalid Al-Jandan, undersecretary for economic and cultural affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ahmad were present during the inaugural session of the meeting, the report said.

Al-Attiyah said the meeting was held to explore new areas of cooperation in all areas.

"All countries in the GCC as well as India are willing to participate in projects that would be of mutual interest. India is a country with an abundance of skilled staff supported by a rich knowledge economy which could be harnessed by GCC countries for their progress and prosperity," he said.

Gulf Cooperation Council includes Saudi, Qatar, UAE , Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait.

The volume of trade exchange between India and GCC countries exceeded USD 64 billion in 2009.

The GCC states import a variety of goods including agricultural commodities, while India imports oil and gas in return.

In a paper, it was pointed out that energy security is important for India as well as GCC countries.

India's energy security challenge comes from its high import dependence for oil and gas needs.

Oil and gas imports not only feed its domestic industries, but also its exports of petroleum products.

 

[Tshering22]

India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will form an action plan for a strategic partnership to forge ahead cooperation in several areas including security, defence, education, culture and economy.

I can understand security. education and economy but still can't figure out what can we do in the field of defence and culture. Barring Bahrain, UAE and Oman, other member countries are fanatically Islamic and don't allow other cultures or faiths to establish a national following or open celebration lest their local populance gets attracted to foreign cultures. What's even more funny is that there's a mention of this plan being initiated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia which is the most hostile country to foreign cultures and religions on this planet.

Now coming to defence, Other than grabbing a slice of oil money in the form of some DRDO arms exports, there's little they can cooperate with us in terms of training, interoperability and logistics. Most of the military men are from rich Arab families living in lavish mansions with limited military discipline compared to our armed forces. I know this having met a retired dude from Qatar armed forces who'd come to visit Sikkim. Although our military might train them for diplomacy, but I doubt anything beyond desert warfare skills would prove to be beneficial for them unless they want to invade Iran. Interoperability is not possible since they don't buy Russian or Israeli weapons which we do along with our own local mix.

India has always stood for the cause of the Arabs, particularly the issue of Palestine," GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah said at the inaugural session of the meeting held at the GCC headquarters in Riyadh.

WAAAAOOW! Now they finally remember that there has been a country called India who supported them finally when our political power is increasing around the world. Sorry Saudis.. Russia, France and Israel helped us much before you Saudis even thought of, for international support without any conditions when we were only gradually emerging and didn't have political clout. Fair weather attitude is not appreciated by Indian armed forces and strategic circles.

Now when your soon-to-be ex-wife Pakistan is getting pummeled with its own terrorism and falling apart, you remember us.. nice try.

In a paper, it was pointed out that energy security is important for India as well as GCC countries.

India's energy security challenge comes from its high import dependence for oil and gas needs.

Oil and gas imports not only feed its domestic industries, but also its exports of petroleum products.

This is the only field in which GCC and we can cooperate without any hitches since piracy is out of control and we've suffered enough losses not to mention our oil shipments being possibly attacked by Somali pirates in future, perhaps as a retaliation to what the Navy did 2 years ago.