Dina Mahmoud (London)
The holding of the first summit of the leaders of the countries of the “I2U2” group, less than a year after the inauguration of this gathering, which includes the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, Israel and India, is an indication of the accelerated pace at which the cooperation between the four countries is growing in various fields, while stressing The unique position of the UAE as a hub for innovation.
Officials and analysts stressed that the virtual summit, which was held with the participation of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State “may God protect him”, and US President Joe Biden, along with the Prime Ministers of Israel Yair Lapid and India Narendra Modi, is of great importance, at various levels, Given that the four countries represent, as US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in the middle of last month, leading centers for advanced technologies.
The summit was described by a senior official in the Biden administration as a “unique communication” between leaders, especially as they lead countries that are important centers of innovation, in reference to the unique position of the UAE in this regard.
American analysts stressed that the importance that the United States attaches to this quartet gathering is embodied in Biden’s keenness that the virtual summit be one of the important stations of his visit to the Middle East, which he started yesterday, and the first of its kind since taking office, early last year.
At the same time, US officials indicated, in statements published by the “Business Standard” website, that holding the summit comes within the framework of efforts to revitalize and activate economic alliances around the world.
The National Security Adviser at the White House, Jake Sullivan, had indicated the importance of the food security file on the agenda of the first summit, for this gathering, whose acronym “I2U2” was derived from the fact that the names of two of its four countries begin with the letter U in the English language, while the name of The other two states with the letter I.
The four leaders discussed the energy file, which is of great importance at the present time, while the summit enhances cooperation between the four countries, which seeks to deepen their relations in the economic, commercial and scientific fields, especially in the biotechnology sector, in order to benefit from the excellence of the UAE and other countries in the group. , in this regard.
During those talks, the four countries agreed to launch a cooperation forum, which analysts assert would help benefit from the four distinguished scientific and economic potentials, and explore ways to develop the existing relations between them in the technological and security fields, as well as with regard to food security as well, as well as maximizing their capabilities. To promote an atmosphere of tolerance, coexistence and mutual understanding, on the regional and international arenas.
Cooperation in infrastructure projects
According to analysts, the “I2U2” summit emphasizes the importance of cooperation in infrastructure projects and the prospects for strengthening the investment and economic partnership between the four countries, which began activating the current coordination between them at this collective level, following talks held via videoconference at the ministerial level on October 19 of the year. It included His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, his American counterpart Anthony Blinken, and Indian Minister of External Affairs Subramaniam Jay Shankar, in addition to the current Israeli Prime Minister, who was his country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time.