How India-UAE Ties Touched New Highs In Last One Year

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to the UAE – starting today – is built on strong pillars of bilateral relations and economic collaboration.

As many as five high-level visits by top leaders took place between India and the UAE since July 2023, with the relations between the two nations touching new highs.

During PM Modi’s visit to Abu Dhabi last year, several MOUs were signed, covering areas such as local currency settlement, payment and messaging systems, renewable energy, and innovative healthcare.

When UAE President  Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Gujarat this year, again several agreements were signed.

The two countries are among each other’s top trading partners with a bilateral trade of about $85 billion in 2022-23, according to official data. The UAE is also among the top four investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments in 2022-23.

The UAE was invited as a special invitee for the G20 Summit during India’s Presidency of the grouping. In February 2023, the India-UAE-France (UFI) trilateral was formally launched.

With India’s active support, the UAE joined SCO as dialogue partner in May 2023. The UAE also joined BRICS as a member on January 1 with India’s support.

The India-UAE defence cooperation is also on an upswing in the last few years. In January 2024, the first India-UAE bilateral army exercise ‘Desert Cyclone’ was held in Rajasthan.