India and GCC share convergence of ideas and interests along with the political will to collaborate in the hydrogen energy sector. There is a need to provide impetus to the public and private partnerships in this sector as it has a strong potential for growth in future.
The recent protests in Oman over economic slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic pose a major economic and political challenge for Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said, the new ruler of Oman.
Research Analyst, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Lakshmi Priya’s commentary ‘India-Kuwait ties on the upswing’ has been published by All India Radio on June 15, 2021.
Indo-Kuwait partnership is time tested and the External Affairs Minister’s visit is a step in the direction of strengthening the bilateral ties while COVID-19 is impacting both economies. The two countries consider cooperation and collaboration as significant tools in the mitigation of the ill effects of the pandemic, writes Dr. Lakshmi Priya.
The growing ties between China and Iran can have challenges for India’s relations with Iran and interests in the Persian Gulf region. Nonetheless, it is unlikely to seriously affect India-Iran bilateral ties that remain robust and have withstood challenges earlier.
GCC countries are taking measures to nationalise the labour force, which is adversely affecting the Indian expatriates across all sectors. Even as India is getting equipped to tackle the return migration, the creation of a comprehensive database will help better manage the crisis in the long run.
Research Analyst, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Lakshmi Priya’s Commentary ‘India Joins the Jeddah Amendment’ has been published by All India Radio (AIR) World Service, an external services division of AIR, on September 18, 2020.
India joined the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct as an Observer state following a high-level virtual meeting held recently. New Delhi became a part of the team of existing observer states consisting of Japan, Norway, the UK, and the US. India looks forward to working with the 18-member group towards coordinating and contributing to enhanced maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region, writes Dr. Laxmi Priya.
Research Analyst, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr. Lakshmi Priya’s article on UAE’s space mission, titled ‘Mars Mission: A Beacon of HOPE’ has been published by ‘The Diplomatist’ on July 30, 2020.
The article explores how a newcomer in space science, UAE has made a place for itself by launching three earth observation satellites in orbit and sending the first Emirati astronaut, Hazzaa Ali Almansoori to the International Space Station, while aiming to build a human colony on Mars in the next hundred years.
While Egypt has managed to contain the spread of the virus, the economic and political fallout of the pandemic poses a critical challenge to the stability of the country.
