Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make an official visit to the United Arab Emirates on Friday to further strengthen the long-standing relationship between the two countries. During the visit, Mr Modi is expected to hold important meetings with UAE leaders before beginning his six-day tour of Europe.
According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Mr Modi will later travel to the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy as part of his European visit.
India and the UAE share strong diplomatic, economic and cultural relations that go back decades. The UAE is home to nearly four million Indians, making them the largest expatriate community in the country. Over the years, both nations have continued to expand co-operation in trade, investment, energy, technology and infrastructure.
In 2022, the UAE and India signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which became the UAE’s first such trade agreement. The deal helped increase bilateral trade between the two countries to more than $85 billion. India is currently the UAE’s largest trading partner, while the UAE is India’s third-largest trading partner.
Mr Modi last visited the UAE in 2024 during a two-day trip where he addressed around 40,000 members of the Indian community at Zayed Sports City Stadium. During the visit, he also attended the World Governments Summit in Dubai and inaugurated the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
Earlier this year, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited New Delhi and held talks with Mr Modi. Both leaders discussed ways to deepen co-operation in several sectors, including artificial intelligence, technology, economy and food security.
The two leaders also witnessed the exchange of agreements and letters of intent aimed at expanding bilateral co-operation and supporting future development projects between the two countries.
Following the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed said that the UAE and India would continue working together to promote sustainable development, economic growth and stronger strategic ties.
