PM Modi arrives in Abu Dhabi; says looking forward to talks with UAE President to bolster bilateral ties

"Grateful to Crown Prince HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for welcoming me at the airport today," PM Modi tweeted. (Image source: Twitter//@narendramodi)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived Abu Dhabi today on a day-long visit and said he was looking forward to his talks with President of the UAE Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to further deepen the multifaceted bilateral ties.

The prime minister, who is currently on his fifth visit to the UAE, was warmly welcomed at the airport by UAE’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

"Landed in Abu Dhabi. I look forward to the deliberations with HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which will further deepen India-UAE cooperation," he tweeted.

Landed in Abu Dhabi. I look forward to the deliberations with HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which will further deepen India-UAE cooperation. @MohamedBinZayed pic.twitter.com/l3alPoKjXK

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 15, 2023

"Grateful to Crown Prince HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for welcoming me at the airport today," he said.

PM Modi arrived in Abu Dhabi following his successful two-day visit to Paris where he joined French President Emmanuel Macron for the Bastille Day parade as the Guest of Honour and signed several agreements to strengthen bilateral ties.

Modi was honoured with the "Order of Zayed", the UAE’s highest civilian award, in 2019 as a mark of appreciation for his efforts to boost bilateral ties between the two nations.

Prime Minister Modi will hold talks with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi during his fifth visit to the Gulf country since 2015. His previous visits to the country were in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2022.

"I look forward to meeting my friend, H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan," Prime Minister Modi said in his departure statement on July 13.

"Our two countries are engaged across a wide range of sectors such as trade, investments, energy, food security, science and technology, education, fintech, defence, security, and robust people-to-people ties," he said.

Energy, food security, and defence are expected to be the focus areas of Modi’s visit to the UAE during which the two countries will review the progress in bilateral relations after they inked a landmark trade agreement.

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which gave a new thrust to the economic engagement between the two countries, was signed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

India and the UAE are engaged across various sectors such as trade, investments, energy, food security, science and technology, education, fintech, defence, security, and robust people-to-people ties.

The UAE is India’s third-largest trading partner and second-largest export destination. The UAE was the fourth largest source of FDI for India in 2022-23. India is UAE’s second-largest trading partner with a bilateral trade of over $84 billion.

The UAE has been a key partner for India’s energy security. The country is India’s third-largest source of crude oil and second-largest source of LNG and LPG.

The Indian expatriate community is the largest ethnic community in UAE constituting roughly 30 percent of the country’s population. The number of resident Indian Nationals was estimated to be 3.5 million in 2021 as per the UAE records. Yoga and Indian cinema are immensely popular in the UAE.