India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are aiming to deepen their ties and elevate their comprehensive strategic partnership as Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visits India on an official visit on September 9-10.
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi is coming to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This will be his first visit to Delhi as the Crown Prince.
The Foreign Ministry said that top ministers from the United Arab Emirates and a business delegation are also accompanying him.
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi – the next king – will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. This is the first time India is officially interacting with the next generation of the UAE’s royal family and government, which highlights how much importance India attaches to its ties with the UAE.
Apart from meeting Prime Minister Modi, the Crown Prince will also meet President Draupadi Murmu.
Crown Prince’s Program
The Crown Prince’s day on September 9 will begin with a visit to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi.
Later, the Crown Prince will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two leaders will discuss several areas of bilateral cooperation. This will likely be followed by a joint press conference in which several agreements or MoUs will be exchanged.
Apart from bilateral issues, the two leaders are also expected to have detailed discussions on the overall situation arising out of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Crown Prince will also meet President Draupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
On September 10, the Crown Prince will visit Mumbai to attend a business forum attended by top business leaders from both countries.
India-UAE partnership
Since Prime Minister Modi’s historic visit to the UAE in August 2015, the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 34 years, bilateral relations between the two countries have been elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The two countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or CEPA in February 2022 and a Local Currency Settlement (LCS) system in July 2023 to promote the use of the Indian Rupee and AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham) for cross-border transactions.
India is the UAE’s second largest trading partner, while the UAE is India’s largest trading partner in the Arab world. Total trade between India and the UAE is projected to reach US$100 billion by the end of the decade. According to official data, bilateral trade between the two countries was around US$85 billion in 2022-23.
The UAE is among the top four investors in India in terms of foreign direct investment or FDI in 2022-23.
The Ministry of External Affairs said, “India and the UAE have historically enjoyed close and friendly relations. In recent years, the comprehensive strategic partnership between India and the UAE has deepened in many areas, including political, trade, investment, connectivity, energy, technology, education and culture.”
It said, “The Crown Prince’s visit will further strengthen India-UAE bilateral relations and open avenues for partnership in new and emerging areas.”
The Indian community, numbering over 3.5 million, plays a vital role in the UAE. Their contribution to the UAE’s economy and cultural landscape underlines the deep ties between the two countries.
The UAE was a special invitee to the G20 Summit held in New Delhi during India’s presidency.
With the active support of India, the UAE joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or SCO as a dialogue partner in May 2023. The UAE also joined the BRICS forum as a member on January 1 with the support of India.
In 2023, the India-UAE-France (UFI) trilateral will also be formally launched.
The UAE is the fifth largest supplier of crude oil to India, accounting for about 8% of India’s total crude oil imports. It also ranks first among destinations for India’s exports in the West Asia region.
As a key player in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation or OIC grouping, the UAE’s support is crucial for India in dealing with regional challenges, especially with regard to relations with Pakistan.
Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid’s visit underlines the UAE’s commitment to deepening economic and strategic ties with India. It marks the beginning of a new chapter in India-UAE relations, characterised by cooperation and opportunity.
Recent visit, strengthening ties
In February this year, Prime Minister Modi visited the UAE on an official visit where he held discussions on India-UAE bilateral relations with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and exchanged eight agreements.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, 63, is the father of Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, 42, who is visiting India this week.
Prime Minister Modi and President Al Nahyan welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding between India and the UAE for the creation of an inter-governmental framework on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (also known as IMEEC), reflecting the steps taken by the UAE and India in further enhancing regional connectivity.
The two leaders supported efforts on both sides to strengthen robust economic and commercial cooperation and explore new areas of cooperation. They welcomed the strong growth witnessed in UAE-India trade relations since the entry into force of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
During his visit, PM Modi inaugurated the majestic Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir, the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
This temple is located in Abu Mureikhah district of Abu Dhabi. This magnificent temple is built on a 27-acre campus, the land for which was gifted by the UAE government.
He also addressed the Indian community at an event titled ‘Ahlan Modi’, which was attended by over 65,000 people.
