France, India and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday announced a trilateral initiative to launch energy projects, with a particular focus on solar and nuclear sources.

In a phone call on Saturday, the foreign ministers of the three countries agreed to embark on cooperative projects in the fields of energy, climate change and biodiversity, they announced in a joint statement.

The projects would particularly center around the Indian Ocean region.

The initiative comes while India chairs the G20 group of 20 rich and developing nations, and while the UAE prepares to host the COP28 climate summit later this year.

What do we know about the initiative?

The three countries will work on implementing specific, achievable projects on clean energy, the environment and biodiversity, they said in the joint statement. The initiative also aims to expand cooperation in the field of sustainable projects.

In addition, the three countries said they would strive to align their economic, technological and social policies more closely, as per the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

Separately, France, India and the UAE also agreed to increase military cooperation, as well as cooperation in the field of combating diseases and pandemics and joining forces in the field of vaccination, they said.

The three countries called the "roadmap" announced on Saturday the next step continuing from talks that first began in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. 

Since Russia launched its war on Ukraine nearly a year ago, European countries began searching for alternative energy sources to replace Russian oil and gas. Reaching out to oil-rich Arab Gulf countries has been a common strategy.

rmt/msh (AP, Reuters)