Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 13-14 February during which he will inaugurate the BAPS Mandir, the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
This will be the PM’s seventh visit to the UAE since 2015 and the third in the last eight months. During the visit, he will hold bilateral meetings with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The two leaders will discuss ways to further deepen, expand and strengthen the strategic partnership between the countries and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Mr Modi will also meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister of UAE. At his invitation, the PM will participate in the World Government Summit 2024 to be held in Dubai as a Guest of Honour and deliver a special keynote address at the summit.
He will also be addressing the Indian community in the UAE at an event in Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
India and UAE enjoy warm, close and multi-faceted relations underpinned by strong political, cultural and economic linkages. Following the landmark visit of PM Modi to UAE in August 2015, bilateral relations between the two countries were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Both countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in February 2022 and a Local Currency Settlement (LCS) System in July 2023 to promote the use of Indian Rupee and AED for cross-border transactions.
The two countries are among each other’s top trading partners with a bilateral trade of about US$ 85 billion in 2022-23. UAE is also among the top 4 investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments in 2022-23.
About 3.5 million strong and vibrant Indian community forms the largest expatriate group in the UAE. Their positive and well-appreciated contribution to the development of their host country has been an important anchor of our excellent bilateral engagement with the UAE.