India’s decision to deepen its defence and technology partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), announced on Monday, aims to have joint production and partnerships in making military equipment.New Delhi, responding to assertions that the India-UAE defence partnership was a response to Pakistan’s growing military outreach, clarified that the cooperation was not aimed at any specific event in West Asia.Post Operation Sindoor, Saudi Arabia-Pakistan have inked a defence pact. Pakistan has underlying aspirations of creating an ‘Islamic NATO’ with Turkiye joining in with Saudi Arabia.Detailing New Delhi’s stance, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri made it clear that India-UAE tie up is not against any existing alignment. He said, “This was a natural evolution and not necessarily a response to any specific event that may have taken place in the region.” India has no intent to get involved in a hypothetical future scenario in the region, Misri added.India-UAE announced their intent on Monday. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was on a state visit to New Delhi and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two countries unveiled a set of agreements, including on defence, space and energy security.The two sides signed a letter of intent to work towards concluding a framework agreement for a strategic defence partnership. The plan looks at defence industrial cooperation, defence innovation, partnerships in advanced technology in the area of defence, as well as expanding the linkages on training, education, perhaps training between the Special Forces of the two countries.This upgraded partnership, when finalised, would pave the way for manufacturing, technology transfer and capability development. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, also the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence of the UAE, was part of the UAE delegation to India.Existing India UAE defence cooperationIn April 2025, the UAE Defence Minister visited India. The two sides elevated the institutional framework of defence dialogue between the two countries to the level of Secretaries and Vice Ministers.The India-UAE Defence Industry Cooperation Forum has met twice in the past two years with the Ministry of Defence guiding the talks. The forum brings together industry leaders and government officials from both countries to explore opportunities for collaboration in defence manufacturing and technology.Defence is one of the pillars of the existing India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership inked in 2017. Steady progress has been made through regular exchanges of service chiefs and senior commanders, along with successful bilateral military exercises involving the Army, Navy and Air Force.Defence ties are steered through a Joint Defence Co-operation Committee at the Ministry level, since the signing of an MoU on Defence Cooperation in June 2003.Pakistan’s expanding defence outreachIslamabad, along with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, has prepared a draft trilateral defence agreement after nearly a year of talks, according to Pakistan’s defence production minister. While Turkish officials have confirmed discussions, they have said that no pact has yet been finalised; the proposed arrangement signals an attempt to create a new regional security bloc operating outside traditional Western alliances, which the Western press has labelled as the ‘Islamic NATO’.
