February 14, 2024
NEW DELHI – Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday on an official visit to the UAE. In a special and warm gesture, he was received at the airport by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and accorded a ceremonial welcome.
The two leaders shook hands and hugged each other. Prime Minister Modi also received a guard of honour.
He posted on X: “Immensely grateful to my brother, HH @MohamedBinZayed, for taking the time to receive me at Abu Dhabi airport. I look forward to a productive visit which will further strength the friendship between India and UAE.”
The two leaders held one-on-one and delegation level talks. They reviewed the bilateral partnership and discussed new areas of cooperation.
Among the agreements the two countries signed included an Intergovernmental Framework Agreement on the India-Middle East Economic Corridor. This would build on previous understandings and cooperation on this matter and foster India and the UAE cooperation furthering regional connectivity.
The two leaders welcomed deepening of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across sectors, including trade and investment, digital infrastructure, fintech, energy, infrastructure, culture and people to people ties. Their discussions covered regional and global issues also.
In his remarks during his meeting with @MohamedBinZayed, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude for an enthusiastic and warm welcome to him and his team. “Whenever I am with you, I feel that I am among my family members,” he said.
“Our deep relations are evident from the fact that in the last seven months we have met five times, and I came here seven times,” he said. “This shows our close relations. In every field, we have moved ahead. India and the UAE are together in several fields. Even today, we are going to arrive at many important agreements,” he said.
The Prime Minister said “a new era of fintech is about to start with UPI and Jaywan Cards. I am thankful that you came to my home State and gave stature to the Vibrant Gujarat Summit by attending it; the prestige of the event has gone up in the world. People remember the inspiring speech you gave.”
Mr Modi said “Your regard for India and your vision for UAE’s bright future is evident in your support for the BAPS temple, which would not have been possible without your support which showed your trust and an affection for us which is difficult to imagine.”
He said it was a happy occasion that the two countries were signing a Bilateral Investment Treaty which will have an impact for long. For G20 nations, this will be big news that UAE and India are coming together.
The Bilateral Investment Treaty will promote further investments in both countries. India has signed both– Bilateral Investment Treaty and a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, with the UAE.
The other agreements included: an MoU on cooperation in the field of electrical interconnection and trade which will open new areas of collaboration in the field of energy, including energy security and energy trade;
An MoU on cooperation in Digital Infrastructure Projects: This will create a framework for a wide ranging cooperation, including investment cooperation, in the digital infrastructure sector and also facilitate sharing of technical knowledge, skills and expertise;
A Cooperation protocol between the National Archives of the two countries; an MoU for cooperation in the field of heritage and museums to foster engagement between the two countries aimed at supporting of the Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal, Gujarat;
An agreement on interlinking of the instant payment platforms – UPI (India) and AANI (UAE): This will facilitate seamless cross-border transactions between the two countries. This follows the MoU on interlinking payment and messaging systems signed in July last year during the PM’s visit to Abu Dhabi;
And the agreement on inter-linking domestic debit/credit cards – RuPay (India) with JAYWAN (UAE): An important step in building financial sector cooperation to enhance the universal acceptance of RuPay across the UAE. The leaders witnessed a transaction made using the JAYWAN card.
The leaders also discussed the strengthening of energy partnership. They appreciated that in addition to the UAE being among the largest sources of crude and LPG, India is now entering into long term contracts for LNG.
Ahead of the PM’s visit, RITES Limited signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi Ports Company and Gujarat Maritime Board with Abu Dhabi Ports Company. These would help in building port infrastructure and further enhance connectivity between the two countries.
Mr Modi thanked the UAE leader for help and support for the Indian diaspora’s public event where thousands were expected to attend. “The event would not have been possible without your support and love and I thank you for this from my heart,” the Prime Minister said.