Abu Dhabi, May 15 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour upon his arrival in Abu Dhabi on Friday, marking the beginning of the first leg of his five-nation tour, with UAE F16 jets having escorted his plane as it entered UAE airspace. Modi is scheduled to hold talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on key areas of cooperation including trade, investment, energy security, technology, culture, and people-to-people ties. Two important Memoranda of Understanding in the areas of LPG and strategic petroleum reserves are likely to be concluded during the visit, according to official sources, with energy security being one of the primary focus areas of the discussions. The Ministry of External Affairs described the visit as an opportunity to promote the significant trade and investment linkages between the two countries, noting that the UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner and its seventh-largest source of investment cumulatively over the past 25 years.
The visit also holds significance for the over 4.5 million strong Indian community residing in the UAE, with discussions on their welfare expected to feature during the bilateral engagements. MEA Secretary (West) had stated at a special media briefing earlier in the week that both leaders would discuss avenues to further deepen bilateral ties across multiple sectors, with particular emphasis on energy security, which was described as “an important aspect of our relationship.” The visit builds on the strong momentum in India-UAE ties, with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan having paid an official visit to India in January, followed by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visiting India in February to participate in the AI Impact Summit.