India-Arab League: Bridging Cultures, Creating Opportunities

Syllabus: GS2/ International Relations

Context

• India is set to host the 2nd ministerial summit of foreign ministers from the League of Arab States (Arab League), after a decade-long gap.
  • The first meeting was held in 2016 in Bahrain.

About

• The meeting is an indicator of how India and Arab states intend to recalibrate their partnership in response to:
  • Disruptions in maritime trade routes.
  • Energy transition pressures.
  • Supply chain realignments.
  • Emerging security challenges in West Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

India–Arab League Engagement

• The Arab League, officially known as the League of Arab States was established in Cairo in 1945 initially with seven members.
  • Currently it has 22 member states.
• The India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is the highest institutional mechanism guiding India’s engagement with the Arab League.
• The dialogue process was institutionalised in 2002 through a Memorandum of Understanding between India and the League of Arab States to establish a regular framework for consultation.
• In 2008, the relationship was further strengthened through a Memorandum of Cooperation, leading to the establishment of the Arab–India Cooperation Forum (AICF).
  • The cooperation framework was revised in 2013 to streamline its structure and improve effectiveness.
• India holds observer status in the Arab League, which represents countries across West Asia and North Africa.

Key Pillars of India–Arab League Partnership

• Political and Strategic Coordination: India has signed strategic partnership agreements with Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar over the past two decades.
  • India actively supports Arab countries in multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
  • India is recognised as one of the key strategic partners in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
• Economic Cooperation: Bilateral trade between India and Arab League countries exceeds 240 billion dollars, making the region one of India’s largest trading partners.
  • India has signed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements with the UAE and Oman to deepen economic integration.
• Energy and Food Security: Arab League countries supply nearly 60 percent of India’s crude oil imports and around 70 percent of its natural gas imports.
  • India signed a long-term LNG agreement with Qatar in 2024 to ensure energy security for the next two decades.
  • The UAE’s participation in India’s strategic petroleum reserves strengthens India’s energy resilience.
• People-to-People Ties: The Indian diaspora in the Arab region, numbering over eight million, plays a critical role in strengthening bilateral relations.
  • Education, skills and labour mobility remain important areas of engagement.
• Defence and Security Engagement: Arab League countries have consistently supported India’s position against cross-border terrorism and have condemned major terror attacks in India.
  • India’s access to the Duqm Port in Oman enhances its naval presence and maritime security capabilities in the region.
• Emerging Areas of Cooperation: Digital public infrastructure and fintech cooperation are gaining prominence as new pillars of engagement.
  • The RuPay card and Unified Payments Interface have been introduced in several Arab countries to facilitate seamless financial transactions.

Challenges in India–Arab League Relations

• Rivalries and emerging fault lines, particularly among key regional powers, limit the scope for cohesive multilateral engagement with the Arab League as a collective entity.
• Disruptions in critical maritime trade routes such as the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Suez Canal pose risks to India’s trade flows and energy imports.
• Differences in political systems and foreign policy priorities among Arab League members make consensus-based cooperation challenging.
• India’s balancing act between competing regional actors, including Iran, Israel and Gulf countries, constrains its diplomatic space and requires careful strategic calibration.

Way Forward

• India and the Arab League should institutionalise regular high-level political and sectoral dialogues.
• Cooperation should be expanded in renewable energy, green hydrogen and climate adaptation.
• Economic corridors, defence manufacturing and digital connectivity should be leveraged to create long-term strategic interdependence.

Source: TH