New%20horizons%20emerging%20for%20India%20from%20Desert%20Flag%20VI

The%20Indian%20Air%20Force%20is%20participating%20for%20the%20first%20time%20in%20Exercise%20Desert%20Flag-VI%20in%20UAE%20along%20with%20air%20forces%20of%20the%20United%20Arab%20Emirates%2C%20United%20States%20of%20America%2C%20France%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%2C%20South%20Korea%20and%20Bahrain.%20Greece%2C%20Jordan%2C%26nbsp%3BKuwait%20and%20Egypt%20will%20be%20observers%20at%20the%20exercises%20which%20will%20last%20for%20three%20weeks.%3Cstrong%3E%26nbsp%3B%3C/strong%3EThe%20aim%20of%20the%20exercise%20is%20to%20provide%20operational%20exposure%20to%20the%20participating%20forces%20while%20training%20them%20to%20undertake%20simulated%20air%20combat%20operations%20in%20a%20controlled%20environment.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/defence-deals-with-india-shows-our-commitment-to-its-security-sovereignty-us%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EDefence%20deals%20with%20India%20shows%20our%20commitment%20to%20its%20security%2C%20sovereignty%3A%20US%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

A%20variety%20of%20fighter%26nbsp%3Baircraft%26nbsp%3Blike%20American%20F-15s%20and%20F-16s%2C%20French%20Rafales%20and%20Mirage-2000%20and%20Russian%20origin%20Sukhois%20will%20be%20taking%20part%20in%20these%20wargames.%20The%20IAF%20is%20participating%20with%20its%20six%20Su-30%20MKI%2C%20two%20C-17%20Globemaster%20III%20and%20one%20IL-78%20tanker%20aircraft.%20Naturally%2C%20Desert%20Flag-%20VI%20has%20brought%20into%20focus%20various%20aspects%20of%20the%20strategic%20significance%20of%20the%20Persian%20Gulf%20Region%20for%20India.

It%20is%20an%20established%20fact%20that%20the%20Persian%20Gulf%20region%20is%20of%20great%20importance%20to%20the%20world%20economy%20as%20it%20has%20the%26nbsp%3Bmajor%20producers%20of%20crude%20oil%20and%20natural%20gas.%20Six%26nbsp%3BPersian%20Gulf%20countries–%20Iran%2C%20Iraq%2C%20Kuwait%2C%20United%20Arab%20Emirates%28UAE%29%2C%20Qatar%20and%20Saudi%20Arabia%20are%20members%20of%20OPEC.%26nbsp%3BIndia%27s%26nbsp%3Bbilateral%20trade%20with%20this%20region%20is%20around%20%24125%20billion.%20UAE%20and%20Saudi%20Arabia%20rank%20third%20and%20fourth%20in%20India%27s%20list%20of%20trading%20partners.%20Moreover%2C%20India%20receives%26nbsp%3Bremittances%20of%20around%20%2450%20billion%26nbsp%3Bfrom%20a%20workforce%20of%20over%20nine%20million.%26nbsp%3BThus%2C%20India%20has%20a%20strong%20interest%20in%26nbsp%3Bmaintaining%20peace%20in%20this%20geopolitically%26nbsp%3Bsignificant%20region%20through%26nbsp%3Bcooperation%20and%20dialogue.

I%20served%20for%20ten%20continuous%20years%20in%20the%20Persian%20Gulf%20region–from%201991-94%20as%20Deputy%20to%20the%20Ambassador%20in%20Tehran%2C%201994-98%20as%20Consul%20General%20in%20Dubai%20and%201998-2001%20as%20Ambassador%20in%20Kuwait.%20Consequently%2C%20I%20witnessed%20firsthand%20how%20the%20importance%20of%20this%20region%20has%20grown%20steadily%20for%20us.%20Simultaneously%2C%20the%20importance%20of%20India%20has%20also%20kept%20increasing%20for%20the%20Persian%20Gulf%20countries.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/joe-biden-administration-looking-forward-to-deepen-defence-cooperation-with-india-us-official%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EJoe%20Biden%20administration%20wants%20to%20strengthen%20defence%20ties%20with%20India%3A%20US%20official%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

While%20India%20has%20had%20historically%20close%20economic%20ties%20with%20Gulf%20nations%20and%20has%20imported%20a%20significant%20part%20of%20its%20petroleum%20products%20from%20the%20region%2C%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3Bthe%20government%20of%20Prime%20Minister%20Narendra%20Modi%20has%20focused%20on%20boosting%20security%20and%20defence%20ties%2C%20particularly%20with%20the%20UAE%20as%20evidenced%20by%20the%20growing%20bilateral%20engagement%20in%20this%20area.%26nbsp%3BIt%20may%20be%20recalled%20that%20in%20December%2C%20last%20year%2C%20General%20M.M.%20Naravane%20had%20visited%20UAE%20and%20Saudi%20Arabia.%20It%20was%20the%20first-ever%20visit%20by%20an%20Indian%20army%20chief%20to%20these%20Gulf%20countries.%20Now%2C%26nbsp%3BIndia%27s%20maiden%20entry%20into%20the%20multilateral%20air%20combat%20exercise%20Desert%20Flag%26nbsp%3BVI%26nbsp%3B%20hosted%20by%20the%20United%20Arab%20Emirates%20could%26nbsp%3Bopen%20a%20new%20chapter%20in%20the%20area%20of%20strategic%20cooperation.

Indo-UAE%20defence%20sector%20cooperation%20has%20been%20growing%20steadily%20as%20is%20evident%20from%20trends%20and%20events.%26nbsp%3BThe%26nbsp%3BIAF%20participated%20in%20a%20bilateral%20exercise%20with%20the%20UAE%20counterparts%20in%20May%202016%2C%20while%20two%20Indian%20Naval%20Ships%20participated%20in%20the%20maiden%26nbsp%3BBilateral%20Exercise%20Gulf%20Star%201%20in%20March%202018.%26nbsp%3BThree%20different%20delegations%20from%20UAE%20visited%20the%20Def%20Expo%26nbsp%3Bin%20India%20in%20Feb%202018%20led%20by%20the%20UAE%20MOS%20for%20Defence%20Affairs%2C%20who%20later%20made%20an%20official%20visit%20to%20India%20in%20Oct%202018.%20A%20large%20delegation%20from%20UAE%20participated%20in%20Aero%20India%20at%20Bangalore%20in%20Feb%202019.%20India%27sVice%20Chief%20of%20Air%20Staff%20attended%20the%209th%20Dubai%20International%20Air%20Chiefs%u2019%20Conference%20and%20Dubai%20Air%20Show%20in%20Nov%202019%3B%20for%20the%20first%20time%20an%20Indian%20pavilion%20was%20set%20up%20at%20Dubai%20Airshow%20with%20HAL%2C%20DRDO%20and%20BDL%20as%20the%20participating%20Defence%20Sector%20Public%20Sector%20Undertakings.%20India%20has%20also%20been%20stepping%20up%20defence%20cooperation%20with%20other%20Persian%20Gulf%20countries.%20It%20conducts%20the%20Naseem%20al%20Bahar%20and%26nbsp%3B%20Al-Nagah%20Military%20Exercises%20with%20Oman%2C%20and%20the%20Za%27ir%20al%20Bahar%20naval%20exercise%20with%20Qatar.%20Kuwait%20also%20set%20up%20its%20Defence%20Secretary%27s%20office%20in%20February%202020%20to%20ramp%20up%20defence%20cooperation.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20read%3A%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/indian-air-force-aerobatic-team-steals-the-show-at-aero-india-2021-watch%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndian%20Air%20Force%20aerobatic%20team%20steals%20the%20show%20at%20Aero%20India%202021%20%7C%20Watch%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

The%20emerging%20global%20and%20regional%20security%20order%20along%20with%20the%20growing%20geostrategic%20importance%20of%20the%20Indo-Pacific%20have%20brought%20the%20GCC%20states%20and%20India%20together.%26nbsp%3BIndia%27s%20participation%20in%20Exercise%20Desert%20VI%20underscores%20that%20India%27s%20relations%20with%26nbsp%3BUAE%20as%20also%20with%20Saudi%20Arabia%20are%20moving%20to%20a%20new%20level%20that%20goes%20beyond%20trade%20and%20business%20to%20mutually%20deepening%20political%2C%20security%20and%20strategic%20engagements.

%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23AirForce%22%20data-user-id%3D%22CwScVVJfthr2%22%20href%3D%22/topic/air-force%22%3E%23AirForce%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Defence%22%20data-user-id%3D%22ihNKmXrAhTKN%22%20href%3D%22/topic/defence%22%3E%23Defence%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23India%22%20data-user-id%3D%22Bq4MmUPrXF8p%22%20href%3D%22/topic/india%22%3E%23India%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Security%22%20data-user-id%3D%22M4TuxxdtAqse%22%20href%3D%22/topic/security%22%3E%23Security%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23USA%22%20data-user-id%3D%22SPBaPrR23eZS%22%20href%3D%22/topic/usa%22%3E%23USA%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23UAE%22%20data-user-id%3D%22J9dkPTwxW9bD%22%20href%3D%22/topic/uae%22%3E%23UAE%3C/a%3E%26nbsp%3B