DUBAI, Feb 11 (AP): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has applauded the "vibrant relationship" shared between his country and Gulf Arab nations during a visit to Dubai.
Modi made the comments on Sunday at a speech at an invitation-only gala at the Dubai Opera.
Modi said: "Today, whether it's the UAE or other countries in the Arabian Gulf, our relationship is no longer just that of a buyer and seller, it's a partnership that's been built."
Indian laborers, taxi drivers and white-collar workers can be found everywhere in the United Arab Emirates, as well as other Gulf Arab nations.
Modi will later address the World Government Summit in Dubai before heading to Oman. He was in the Palestinian territories on Saturday and met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
A Xinhua report adds: French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said here on Sunday at the opening of the 2018 World Government Summit that the idea to export democracy by force through past interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya is a mistake.
Transformation of states takes time and must happened progressively, Philippe said in his main address of the summit held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the theme "Shaping Future Governments."
"Military interventions like we have seen in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya to impose democracy through fire failed to achieve their objectives," the French head of government said.
A US-led coalition invaded Iraq and Afghanistan in 2001 and 2003 respectively in order to impose a regime change and install a western-style democracy, but both countries have been remaining war-torn states until today.
The government of Libya under former leader Muammar Al-Gaddafi was removed by a NATO-led aerial campaign in 2011 following the outbreak of the Arab turmoil, though the North African oil state has likewise not found to internal stability since then.
In Europe, it took centuries to transform the states into democracies, Philippe said.
Philippe's speech was attended by UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed, his wife Princess Haya Bint Hussein and Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al-Maktoum, and members of the UAE government, along with over 4,000 delegates from across the globe.
On Saturday, Philippe attended with Noura Bint Mohammed Al-Kaabi, the UAE minister of Culture and Knowledge Development the inauguration of UAE-France Cultural Dialogue 2018 at the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum.
The 6th edition of the World Government Summit which comprises 120 conference sessions and workshops will run through Tuesday.
DUBAI: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivers a speech during the opening of the World Government Summit in Dubai on Sunday. — AFP
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