I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA) Sherpas met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The meeting was attended by ministry of external affairs economic relations secretary Dammu Ravi, Israeli ministry of foreign affairs director general Alon Ushpiz and United Arab Emirates minister of state Ahmed bin Ali Al Sayegh and US Under Secretary of State Jose W. Fernandez.

The group expressed its commitment to deepening the economic partnership among the four countries. They took stock of the projects identified under I2U2 like: 

i) Setting up of food parks in India.

ii) Hybrid Renewable Energy/battery storage project in Dwarka, Gujarat.

What is the purpose of I2U2?

• The I2U2 grouping was conceptualised during the meeting of the foreign ministers of the four countries held on October 18, 2021. 

• In the grouping’s name, ‘I’ stands for India and Israel and ‘U’ for the US and UAE.

• I2U2 is aimed to encourage joint investments in six mutually identified areas such as water, energy, transportation, space, health and food security. 

• It intends to mobilise private sector capital and expertise to help modernise the infrastructure, low carbon development pathways for our industries, improve public health, and promote the development of critical emerging and green technologies.

• Each country also has Sherpa-level interactions regularly to discuss the possible areas of cooperation.

• India’s bilateral strategic ties with each of the three countries are on an upswing in the last few years.

• The group is aimed to encourage joint investments in six mutually identified areas such as water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.

• It intends to mobilise private sector capital and expertise to help modernise the infrastructure, low carbon development pathways for our industries, improve public health, and promote the development of critical emerging and green technologies.

• This will not only revitalise and re-energise the system of alliances and partnerships around the world but also stitch together partnerships that did not exist previously or were not utilised to their full extent.

• This will help the countries in exploring security cooperation among the four nations within the framework of these new groupings.

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