Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will begin a two-day maiden visit to India on Sunday to hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid escalating tensions in West Asia.
“The visit of Al Nahyan will further reinforce strong ties between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and open avenues for partnership in new and emerging areas,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, announcing the trip. “Prime Minister Modi and the Crown Prince will hold talks on Sunday covering a wide range of areas of bilateral cooperation,” it said.
Besides bilateral issues, the two leaders are also expected to deliberate on the overall situation arising out of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The visiting leader is also scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu. He will visit Rajghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
The Crown Prince will be accompanied by several ministers from the UAE government and a business delegation. After concluding the Delhi leg of his visit, Al Nahyan will travel to Mumbai to participate in a business forum on Monday. Top business leaders from both countries will participate in the forum.
"At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will pay an official visit to India on September 9 and 10," the MEA said on Saturday.
The MEA also referred to the boosting of bilateral cooperation in a range of areas in the last few years. "India and UAE share historically close and friendly ties. In recent years, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UAE has deepened in a wide range of areas including political, trade, investment, connectivity, energy, technology, education, and culture," it said.
Following the landmark visit of Modi to UAE in August 2015, bilateral relations between the two countries were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Both countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in February 2022 and a Local Currency Settlement (LCS) System in July 2023 to promote the use of Indian Rupee and AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham) for cross-border transactions.
The two countries are among each other's top trading partners with a bilateral trade of about $85 billion in 2022-23, according to official data. The UAE is also among the top four investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments in 2022-23.
About 3.5 million strong and vibrant Indian community forms the largest expatriate group in the UAE. The UAE was invited as special invitee for G20 during India's Presidency of the grouping.
In Feb 2023, the India-UAE-France (UFI) trilateral was formally launched.
With India's active support, the UAE joined SCO as dialogue partner in May 2023. The UAE also joined BRICS as a member on January 1 with India's support. The India-UAE defence cooperation has also witnessed a renewed momentum in the last few years. In January 2024, the first India-UAE bilateral army exercise 'Desert Cyclone' was held in Rajasthan.