We focus on strengthening cultural ties with India: UAE envoy

In this interview, Ambassador Dr. Abdulnasser Jamal Alshaali talks about the cultural ties between India and the UAE, and the support for filmmakers shooting in the UAE.

Dr. Abdulnasser Jamal Alshaali, UAE Ambassador to India, holds a PhD in Economics from the Australian National University and an MBA from Paris-Sorbonne University. He also holds an MBA from Murdoch University and a BA in Finance from the American University of Sharjah. Previously, he served as Assistant Secretary for Economic and Trade Affairs (ETA). Prior to this, Dr. Alshaali was Director of ETA Division since March 2019. He also served as Director of the Policy Planning Department (PPD), which falls under the purview of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Affairs, from December 2016 to February 2019. He was tasked with overseeing the PPD from January 2021 to January 2022 .
In this interview, Ambassador Dr. Abdulnasser Jamal Alshaali talks about the cultural ties between India and the UAE, the nature of cultural exchanges in recent years, areas of focus, support for filmmakers shooting in the UAE, and more.

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Q: How do you see the cultural ties between India and the UAE?
a. India is an important strategic partner of the UAE. The diversification and deepening of the bilateral relationship between India and the UAE based on close cultural, economic and people-to-people ties has undergone major changes over the past few years. The strong historical ties between India and the UAE make this a special partnership between the two countries. Among many other areas, our historic cultural ties are reflected in the cuisine and architecture of both countries.
Q: How do you look back on the cultural exchanges between India and the UAE over the past few years?
a. The world’s first Bollywood theme park was launched in Dubai in 2016 as the UAE’s tribute to the Indian film industry, and will relaunch in 2021 amid the pandemic. Abu Dhabi and Yas Island jointly hosted the 23rd International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) 2023 Awards for the second year in a row, which took place on 10-11 February 2023. India has long been one of the key inbound source markets for tourists to Abu Dhabi, built on strong historical ties. Hosting the IIFA Awards underscores the key strategic position of the Indian market in the UAE.
Q: What are the key areas of focus regarding India and the UAE?
a. We focus on strengthening cultural, business and economic opportunities between India and the UAE. This will further strengthen the relationship between the two countries, as is evident from the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries to establish a cultural forum – the UAE Indian Cultural Council. This will be facilitated by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). The two countries signed a cultural agreement in 1975, providing a basic framework for cooperation in the cultural field. India and the UAE have also signed the Executive Program for Cultural Cooperation (EPCC). Through such a dynamic platform, the two countries are promoting cultural activities in Indian and UAE societies.
Q: Given the popularity of Bollywood and Indian stars in the UAE, how can India and the UAE collaborate more frequently on film production?
a. The already strong relationship between the two countries has the opportunity to grow through enhanced cross-cultural exchanges and ideas. Recently, Louvre Abu Dhabi launched a new exhibition, “Bollywood Superstars: The Short Stories of Indian Cinema,” showcasing the rich history and diversity of Indian filmmaking. This is organized in collaboration with the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac and the France Muséums. The exhibition begins on January 24 and will run until June 4, 2023.
Q: What kind of support do you provide to filmmakers who want to shoot in the UAE?
a. Abu Dhabi offers filmmakers a wide range of facilities and personalized support to facilitate a smooth shooting schedule. The armed forces provide hardware such as trucks, helicopters and military vehicles, and government agencies help with logistics such as filming permits and road closures. More recently, director Siddharth Anand’s action-thriller Pathaan was filmed in the UAE and in seven other countries; locations play an important role in Bollywood films.
Q: Tell us about your meeting at the Jaipur Literature Festival. Also, please tell us your main takeaways from visiting Jaipur Literary Festival 2023.
a. This was my first visit to JLF, and I participated in the “present tense” session, which focused on discussions around the G20 and its priorities for India. Other issues discussed included topics such as sustainable development, reform of the multilateral system, and the effectiveness of sanctions. I was able to confirm the UAE’s vision on climate leadership ahead of COP28 and highlight the investor-friendly terms under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) for Indian businesses to expand into the UAE market. Regarding the importance of strengthening food security in the G20, one of the key points is open and unrestricted trade. As food safety is an important part of this development, we discuss issues such as export taxes and food restrictions that need to be addressed.
Q: What is your view on diplomacy in the context of India and the UAE?
a. India is an important strategic partner for the UAE and our relationship has undergone significant changes over the past few years. CEPA has the potential to increase non-oil trade between India and the UAE to $100 billion in the next five years.
This will strengthen and develop the industries of both countries through investment, technology transfer and deployment of key technologies.
Food security and energy are common areas that the two countries hope to strengthen and expand. The two countries are closely engaged in multilateral organizations such as I2U2 (as well as the United States and Israel) to address some of the toughest global challenges, with a particular focus on joint investments and new initiatives in the areas of food security, water, energy, transportation, space and health. In this collaboration Backed by the partnership, the UAE will invest $2 billion to develop integrated food parks across India using the latest climate technologies to address food insecurity in South Asia and the Middle East.