PM Modi in UAE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday, arrived he arrived in Abu Dhabi. The two sides exchanged several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in the presence of the two leaders, after the PM received a rousing welcome in Abu Dhabi, along with a Guard of Honour.

“I thank you for the warm welcome. Whenever I come here to meet you, I always feel I have come to meet my family. We’ve met five times in the last seven months, it’s very rare and reflects our close relationship,” said PM Modi in his opening remarks during the talks with the UAE President. Referring to Zayed Al Nahyan as his ‘brother’, the Prime Minister said India and the UAE have a joint partnership in every field.

PM Modi, UAE President introduce UPI in Abu Dhabi

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra were among the Indian delegations present in the meeting. PM Modi also used the meeting as an opportunity to thank the UAE President for accepting his invitation for the Vibrant Gujarat Summit held earlier this year.

PM Modi will inaugurate Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu Temple – the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir – in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. “The BAPS temple in the UAE is an example of your affinity for India… The construction of BAPS temple here would not have been possible without your support,” he told Al Nahyan. The two leaders signed the bilateral investment treaty on Tuesday and also introduced the UPI (Unified Payments Interface) RuPay card service in Abu Dhabi.

A rousing welcome for PM Modi in UAE

Earlier today, PM Modi was welcomed by UAE President Al Nahyan upon his arrival at the Abu Dhabi Airport, where the two leaders shook hands and hugged each other. “I look forward to a productive visit which will further strengthen the friendship between India and UAE,” said PM Modi in a post on X.

He was given a guard of honour on his arrival in the country. The UAE and India are among each other’s top trading partners with a bilateral trade of about $85 billion in 2022-23, according to official data. PM Modi will be in the UAE from February 13-14 after which he will proceed to Qatar.

What is on the agenda?

PM Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with the Gulf nation’s top leaders to take forward the bilateral strategic partnership and inaugurate the first Hindu stone temple here. This is the prime minister’s seventh visit to the UAE since 2015 and third in the last eight months.

In his statement before his departure, Modi said he is looking forward to further advancing India’s comprehensive strategic partnership with the UAE. “Over the last nine years, our cooperation with UAE in diverse sectors such as trade and investment, defence and security, food and energy security and education has grown manifold. Our cultural and people-to-people connect is stronger than ever,” he said.

The two sides are likely to sign several agreements to shore up cooperation in several key areas. The Indian PM will also address the Indian community members on Tuesday evening called ‘Ahlan Modi’ (Hello Modi in Arabic) at the Zayed Sports City Stadium here. “We are very proud of our diaspora and their efforts to deepen India’s engagement with the world. This evening, I look forward to being among UAE’s Indian diaspora at the #AhlanModi programme!” Modi posted on X.

Modi is also set to meet Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president, prime minister and defence minister of the UAE. “I will be addressing the gathering of world leaders at the World Government Summit in Dubai on February 14,” he said.

(with inputs from agencies)

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