India, UAE to strengthen ties during Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s visit

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince to Visit India for Strengthening Strategic Ties

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Saturday that Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will pay an official visit to India on September 9-10 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This will be Saeed Al Nahyan’s first visit to India as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and will be accompanied by several ministers from the UAE government and a business delegation.

According to the MEA, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi will meet Prime Minister Modi on September 9 to discuss broad areas of bilateral cooperation.

He is scheduled to meet President Draupadi Murmu and will also visit Rajgat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

On September 10, the visiting Crown Prince will visit Mumbai to attend a business forum, which will be attended by business leaders from both countries.

“India and the UAE share a historically close and friendly relationship. In recent years, the comprehensive strategic partnership between India and the UAE has deepened in various fields including politics, trade, investment, connectivity, energy, technology, education and culture. The Crown Prince’s visit is a strong India- The UAE will further strengthen bilateral ties and open avenues for partnership in new and emerging areas,” the MEA said.

Earlier this year, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India and explored ways to further develop the strategic partnership between the two countries during his discussions with Prime Minister Modi. He also attended the 10th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.

In July 2023, Prime Minister Modi visited the United Arab Emirates – his fifth visit to the country since 2015 when he became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the UAE in 34 years.

India-UAE relations were formally elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2017 when Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), India-UAE trade is projected to reach USD 85 billion by 2022, making the UAE India’s third largest trading partner and India’s second largest export destination for 2022-23. India is the second largest trading partner of the UAE.