Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a two-day visit. While there, he will inaugurate Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple and have extensive discussions with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. As announced on Saturday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the prime minister would be making his seventh trip to the United Arab Emirates since 2015.
It stated that Modi and Al Nahyan will talk about how to further develop, broaden, and enhance their strategic partnership and share perspectives on regional and global issues of shared interest.
“The prime minister will also meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president, prime minister and defence minister of the UAE,” the MEA said.
“At his invitation, the prime minister will participate in the World Government Summit 2024 to be held in Dubai as the guest of honour and deliver a special keynote address at the summit,” the MEA said in a statement.
Along with addressing the Indian community in the United Arab Emirates at an event in Zayed Sports City, the statement stated that Modi will also open the BAPS Mandir, the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
“India and UAE enjoy warm, close and multi-faceted relations underpinned by strong political, cultural and economic linkages,” the MEA said.
After Modi’s historic visit to the United Arab Emirates in August 2015, bilateral ties between the two nations were upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. A Local Currency Settlement (LCS) System and a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) were signed by both nations in July 2023 and February 2022, respectively, to encourage cross-border transactions using the Indian Rupee and the United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED). Based on official data, the two nations rank among their top trading partners, with a bilateral trade of approximately $85 billion in 2022–2023.
In terms of foreign direct investments, the UAE ranks among the top four countries that make investments in India in 2022–2023. The Indian community, numbering about 3.5 million, is the largest expat community in the United Arab Emirates. Our outstanding bilateral relationship has been greatly bolstered by their constructive and valued contribution to the growth of their host nation, the MEA stated.
