Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met UAE Assistant Foreign Minister Lana Nusseibeh on the sidelines of the Kultaranta Talks in Finland on 11 June 2026, holding discussions on the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and regional issues of mutual concern.

Context

Dr. Jaishankar described the meeting as an opportunity to 'take stock of the advancements' in the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and to exchange notes on 'regional issues of mutual interest.' The encounter took place at the Kultaranta Talks, an annual foreign-policy forum hosted by Finland that brings together senior diplomats and policymakers from across the globe.

Lana Nusseibeh is a senior UAE diplomat who handles international diplomacy and multilateral engagements for Abu Dhabi. Her presence at the Finland forum underscores the UAE's active participation in high-level multilateral diplomatic circuits.

Policy Backdrop

India and the UAE elevated their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Abu Dhabi in August 2015, establishing a broad framework covering political, economic, defence, and cultural cooperation. The partnership received further economic impetus when both nations signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in February 2022, aimed at significantly expanding bilateral trade and investment flows.

The UAE is among India's most significant Gulf partners, with deep linkages spanning energy supply, trade corridors, and a large Indian expatriate community. India has consistently pursued intensified engagement with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states through high-level meetings, CEPA-style agreements, and defence dialogues to diversify economic partnerships and secure energy supplies.

Stakeholders and Impact

The meeting carries direct relevance for Indian traders and businesses engaged with the UAE market, as well as for the Indian expatriate community in the Gulf — one of the largest in the world — whose remittances form a critical pillar of India's foreign exchange earnings. Any forward movement on CEPA implementation or investment facilitation would have tangible economic consequences for both sides.

India's broader West Asia policy seeks to balance relationships across the Gulf and the wider Middle East. Regular ministerial-level contacts, such as this meeting on the sidelines of a multilateral forum, serve as the connective tissue that keeps the bilateral agenda active between formal summits and joint commission meetings.

What's Next

Diplomatic watchers will look for follow-up action at the next India-UAE Joint Commission meeting or a scheduled CEPA review round. The upcoming session of the UN General Assembly and any convening of the I2U2 grouping — which links India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States — are additional forums where the momentum from this Kultaranta exchange could be built upon. The regularity of India-UAE contacts at senior levels signals that both sides are committed to keeping the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership substantively active.