Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, with both countries expected to further strengthen their strategic, economic and technology partnership.
The visit comes at a time of intensified engagement between India and the UAE. Earlier this year, Sheikh Mohamed visited New Delhi, where the two leaders reviewed the full scope of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and witnessed the signing of several important agreements. These included a Letter of Intent aimed at establishing a formal strategic defence partnership, marking a significant step in bilateral security cooperation.
Energy cooperation between the two nations has also expanded considerably. Earlier this year, ADNOC Gas and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited signed a ten-year liquefied natural gas supply agreement valued at nearly three billion US dollars.
India and the UAE have also reaffirmed their commitment to raise bilateral trade to 200 billion dollars by the year 2032 under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. The two countries are now focusing on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. Officials are working towards establishing a supercomputing cluster in India and are also exploring the possibility of creating digital embassies between the two nations.
Speaking to Akashvani, India’s Ambassador to the UAE, Deepak Mittal said cooperation is expanding across technology, defence, security and culture. He described the Prime Minister’s visit as timely, especially when the region is witnessing unprecedented developments.
Meanwhile, Siddharth Balachandran, Chairman of the Indian Business and Professional Council Dubai and a Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardee, said the visit reflects the “deep strategic and economic partnership” between India and the UAE. He noted that the Indian business community in the UAE deeply values this enduring relationship, which continues to create new opportunities for enterprise, collaboration, and shared prosperity across both nations.
The UAE remains India’s second-largest export destination, with Indian exports reaching around 37 billion US dollars , while imports from the UAE stood at approximately 63 billion dollars. More than four million Indians live and work in the Emirates, reinforcing the strong people-to-people foundation underpinning the bilateral relationship.
