On 7 October 2024, the Ministry of Finance issued a press
release that India and the UAE had executed a new Bilateral
Investment Treaty (BIT) on 13 February 2024, which
came into force from 31 August 2024.
India's tryst with BITs
International investment agreements, which include BITs and
investment chapters in free trade agreements, are entered into
between two or more States, with an aim to facilitate and protect
foreign investments made by their investors in each other's
territories. BITs create legal obligations between a State
(Host State) and foreign investors in its
territory from the other State (Home State). BITs
provide foreign investors with a framework of rights, which they
can rely on to protect their investment from interference by the
Host State. In case the Host State commits a breach of the BIT, the
foreign investors can directly sue the Host State by commencing an
arbitration before an independent tribunal, comprising of
arbitrators appointed by