Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the Order of Zayed, the highest civilian award of the UAE, during his visit to the Gulf country next week. According to an External Affairs Ministry statement, Modi will visit the UAE on August 23-24 and Bahrain on 24-25.
“Prime Minister Modi would receive the Order of Zayed, the highest civil decoration of the UAE which was conferred earlier in April 2019 in recognition of the distinguished leadership of Prime Minister Modi for giving a big boost to bilateral relations between the two countries. The award in the name of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, acquires special significance as it was awarded to Prime Minister Modi in the year of the birth centenary of Sheikh Zayed,” said an MEA statement on Sunday.
Modi's visit to a leading member of the Organisation of Islamic Countries and he receiving the top award of the country assumes significance as it comes in the wake of India withdrawing the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in a move that drew strong protest from Pakistan.
The Gulf Arab countries had remained mostly silent on India's move, with the UAE going a step further by apparently siding with India, calling New Delhi's decision an internal matter.
With robust flow of bilateral investments and an annual bilateral trade of about US$ 60 billion, the UAE is India's third-largest trade partner. Also, the UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India.
