Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday personally received United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Delhi airport, underlining the importance India attached to the visit.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Al Nahyan spent around two hours in the national capital. PM Modi later welcomed him and his mother, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi, at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence, where he held talks with the UAE leader.
During Monday's meeting, New Delhi and Abu Dhabi agreed to deepen their strategic partnership, setting an ambitious target of doubling bilateral trade to $200 billion within six years and moving towards the signing of a formal Strategic Defence Partnership agreement in the near future.
The decisions were announced after talks between PM Modi and UAE President Al Nahyan, underscoring the expanding scope of ties spanning trade, defence, energy, infrastructure and emerging technologies.
Officials said the prime minister gifted the visiting UAE president an ornate wooden swing from his home state of Gujarat, along with a Pashmina shawl. The two leaders sat on the hand-carved wooden swing, featuring traditional designs and placed against a backdrop adorned with marigold flowers at the prime minister’s residence.
A carved wooden swing is a common feature in many Gujarati homes.
"In Gujarati culture, the swing symbolises togetherness, conversation and bonding across generations. The gift also resonates deeply with the UAE's declaration of 2026 as the Year of Family," the officials said.
PM Modi also gifted Al Nahyan a Pashmina shawl from Kashmir in an ornate silver box made in Telangana, highlighting India’s handloom and handicraft traditions. A Pashmina shawl in a silver box was also gifted to the UAE President’s mother.
"She was also gifted Kashmiri saffron in an ornate silver box. Grown in the Kashmir Valley, saffron is revered for its deep crimson strands and intense aroma," the officials said.
This is Al Nahyan’s third official visit to India since assuming office, and his fifth visit to the country in the past decade.
Al Nahyan’s visit comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, including a sharp deterioration in Iran-US relations, strains between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over Yemen, and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.