RAS question
The concept of 'Digital Embassies' was explored during the bilateral discussions between India and which country in January 2026?
Correct answer: (B) United Arab Emirates.
The concept of Digital Embassies was explored in January 2026 during bilateral discussions between India and the United Arab Emirates.
Explanation
The answer is the United Arab Emirates because the Prime Minister of India joint statement records the official visit of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to India on 19 January 2026. In that India-UAE bilateral setting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the UAE President reviewed the full scope of cooperation and discussed economic and technology-linked areas. The two leaders directed their teams to explore establishing Digital Embassies between the UAE and India under mutually recognised sovereignty arrangements. That visit also included discussion of a potential UAE partnership for the Special Investment Region in Dholera, Gujarat.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Saudi Arabia is wrong because the January 2026 joint statement concerns the UAE President's visit to India, not an India-Saudi Arabia discussion.
- (C) Singapore is wrong because the Digital Embassies discussion was between India and the United Arab Emirates, with no Singapore role in that cooperation point.
- (D) Japan is wrong because the Digital Embassies point belongs to an India-UAE joint statement, not an India-Japan bilateral context.
Concept
This tests India’s contemporary bilateral economic and technology diplomacy, especially how strategic partnerships now include digital infrastructure and sovereignty questions. Such items recur in RAS because current affairs often ask aspirants to link official visits with concrete cooperation areas.