External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said India-UAE bilateral trade has crossed the $100-billion mark since the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), as he held talks with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan amid continuing instability in the Gulf.Welcoming the UAE minister and his delegation in Mumbai, Jaishankar said the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was living up to its promise, with cooperation expanding across trade, investments, energy, technology, defence and logistics.“The situation in the Gulf remains a matter of deep concern,” Jaishankar said, underlining the need for both countries to support efforts to promote dialogue and diplomacy. He also stressed the importance of ensuring the “free, safe and unimpeded flow” of trade, energy and fertilisers, highlighting the stakes for both countries amid regional challenges.Jaishankar thanked the UAE leadership for ensuring the wellbeing of the Indian community in the Gulf nation, which is home to a large Indian expatriate population.Despite global economic headwinds and regional challenges, the two countries’ economic partnership continued to set new benchmarks, he said, adding that two-way investments were growing, reflecting business confidence in each other’s economies.Cooperation in defence, energy and technology was also acquiring a strategic character, while cultural engagement and people-to-people ties continued to strengthen the relationship, he said.In a post on X after the meeting, Jaishankar said the two sides had undertaken a comprehensive review of their wide-ranging ties, with cooperation spanning trade, investments, energy, technology, logistics, defence, education and people-to-people exchanges.The meeting comes in a year of intensive high-level engagement between the two countries. Jaishankar noted that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India in January, while Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan led the UAE delegation to the AI Impact Summit in February and the 18th BRICS Summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UAE in May, marking his eighth visit to the country.Jaishankar described the sustained engagement between the two sides over more than a decade as a key driver of the comprehensive strategic partnership, which has expanded beyond traditional economic ties into security, technology and other strategic sectors.The UAE remains a key economic partner for India and an important destination for Indian workers and businesses. The two sides have sought to deepen economic integration and broaden cooperation across sectors under the CEPA framework.