Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space Dr. Jitendra Singh will lead the Indian delegation to United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the “Abu Dhabi Space Debate beginning tomorrow. Dr. Singh will address the Opening Ceremony along with the Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
During the two-day International meet, the Minister will also attend the Ministerial Plenary on the ‘Role of Foreign Policy in Enabling Space Diplomacy and International Cooperation. The Minister is also scheduled to hold delegation-level talks with UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairperson of UAE Space Agency Sarah Al Amiri to discuss ways and means for further strengthening bilateral space cooperation. He is also likely to pitch for joint start-up ventures between India and United Arab Emirates in advanced and emerging space technologies during the delegation-level talks.
In a statement issued before departure to Abu Dhabi, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, India and UAE joint space cooperation is on the verge of taking a big leap in the Arabian Peninsula, as the two sides have prioritised increased bilateral space cooperation. He said, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and UAE Space Agency signed an MoU regarding cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes in 2016. The Minister also informed that UAE’s first nanosatellite – ‘Nayif-1’ meant for collecting environmental space data was launched by PSLV from Sriharikota.
