India's 'West Asia Policy' Gets A Big Boost

In what may be seen as a big boost for India's policy towards West Asia, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan has confirmed his participation in the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi as a chief guest on January 26, 2017.

In August 2015, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UAE and that was the first bilateral visit to Abu Dhabi by an Indian PM in 34 years. Since then, India has tried hard to strengthen ties with the West Asian nation. In the last one year, the UAE has emerged as the most vocal partner in the region to share India's concern on terrorism. Now, the Modi government announces that the crown prince of Abu Dhabi will visit India in January 2017.

The development shows New Delhi's special focus on the emirates and West Asia, as the selection of the chief guest for...