PM Modi Receives UAE President Sheikh Al Nahyan As He Arrives In India For Two-Hour Visit | World News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally welcomed United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he arrived in India on Monday for a brief two-hour visit. Sheikh Mohammed is in New Delhi upon the invitation of Prime Minister Modi.

Officials said that the visit, although short, is expected to allow both leaders to exchange views on regional and global issues, as well as issues of mutual interest, especially in light of changing geopolitical developments in the Middle East.

This visit builds on the strong momentum created by recent high-level talks, including the visit of Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in September 2024, and the visit of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Crown Prince of Dubai, in April 2025.

The visit took place during Phase 2 of Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan

The visit comes at a time when developments are emerging in West Asia as Trump approaches the launch of Phase 2 of the Gaza Peace Plan. This phase includes U.S. efforts to establish a National Committee to oversee the administration of Gaza.

This is Sheikh Mohammed’s third official visit to India since his inauguration as President of the United Arab Emirates and his fifth visit to the country in the last decade, highlighting the depth and regularity of high-level engagement between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi.

The UAE President’s visit to India comes amid a series of recent high-level interactions between the two countries involving both civilian leaders and senior military officials. Earlier this month, on January 4, Chief of Army Staff Upendra Dwivedi paid an official visit to the UAE. During the visit, he was given the Guard of Honor by the UAE Land Forces.

About a month ago, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the UAE to attend the 16th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting and the fifth India-UAE Strategic Dialogue on December 15. During the visit, Jaishankar conducted a comprehensive review of bilateral relations. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), discussions covered trade, investment, energy, connectivity, defence, security, development cooperation, technology, health, culture, education and people-to-people connections.

In recent months, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a defense agreement that treats an attack on one as an attack on both and creates a framework for collective security, but details remain unclear. At the same time, tensions arose between Saudi Arabia and the UAE due to the developments in Yemen. Shortly before the visit of the Indian Army Chief, Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on positions held by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in southern Yemen, even as it called for dialogue to prevent violence near its borders.

The two countries have multifaceted ties

India and the UAE share close, multifaceted relations based on strong political, cultural and economic ties. They are among each other’s leading trade and investment partners, supported by mechanisms such as the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the Local Currency Settlement system and the Bilateral Investment Agreement. The partnership is further strengthened by strong cooperation in the energy sector, including long-term supply arrangements.

According to the MEA, the UAE President’s visit will offer both leaders an opportunity to explore new avenues under the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and exchange views on regional and global issues on which their perspectives are largely aligned.

India and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 1972; The UAE opened its embassy in India in the same year and India opened its embassy in the UAE in 1973. The two countries also work closely with the United Nations and are members of multilateral groups including BRICS, I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA) and the UAE-France-India trilateral framework. The UAE was also invited as a guest country to the G20 Summit held under the chairmanship of India.