UAE President and Indian PM meet to reinforce strong bilateral ties

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the strategic partnership between the UAE and India to the next level, following the signing last year of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries.

During their meeting at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, His Highness welcomed the visit of Prime Minister Modi as an opportunity to further strengthen bilateral ties for the benefit of both nations and their people – across economic, investment, development and renewable energy fields, as well as health, food security, education, and advanced technology.

The two leaders explored opportunities to accelerate the growth in relations between the UAE and India and ways to encourage further bilateral ties at the people-to-people level.
During the meeting, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed and Prime Minister Modi exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues, stating that the UAE and India remain key supporters of all efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability throughout the region and the world. Both sides stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in reaching peaceful solutions to disputes and ensuring the safety and security of societies affected by conflict and crises.

During the meeting, His Highness and the Indian Prime Minister also discussed the COP28 climate conference to be hosted by the UAE later this year. His Highness noted that given its influential role within the international community, India’s active participation at COP28 was eagerly anticipated, and the UAE was looking forward to exploring ways to expand upon the two countries’ constructive cooperation in the field of climate action.

His Highness thanked Prime Minister Modi for India's support for the cooperative relationship between the UAE and both the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS group, and also expressed his appreciation for the UAE being invited to participate as a guest in the work of the G20 under India’s presidency in 2023. The UAE President stated his confidence that India's active leadership of the group during the current year will have an important impact on producing results that are in the interest of the whole world.

The Prime Minister of India expressed his appreciation for the warm reception and thanked His Highness for his continuous efforts to reinforce the longstanding ties between their two countries. Mr Modi reaffirmed his wish to continue working with His Highness to advance UAE-India relations with the aim of achieving the sustainable development ambitions of both sides.
Writing in the VIP guestbook, the Prime Minister expressed his hope that relations between the two countries will continue to witness further development and prosperity in the coming years.
Following the meeting, a luncheon was held in honour of Prime Minister Modi and his accompanying delegation.

The meeting and the lunch were attended by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court; His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Lt. General H.H. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; H.H. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi; H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs; H.H Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Special Affairs Advisor at the Presidential Court; Ali Mohammed Hammad Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for National Security; Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment; Sarah Al Musallam, Minister of State for Early Education; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority and member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; Jassim Mohammed Buataba Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Department of Finance and member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE); and Dr. Abdul Nasser Al Shaali, UAE Ambassador to India.

Attending from the Indian side were a number of senior officials including Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the UAE.