NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met UAE’s newly-appointed President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi and the two leaders reiterated their commitment to further deepen and diversify the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
PM Modi met Sheikh Mohamed during a brief stopover here on his way to India from Germany after the G-7 summit to personally convey his condolences on the demise of former president of the Gulf nation Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
It was the first in person meeting between the two leaders after 2019 and the UAE President came to receive PM Modi at the airport. “I am touched by the special gesture of my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayad Al Nahyan, of coming to welcome me at the Abu Dhabi airport. My gratitude to him,’’ said PM Modi.
PM Modi congratulated Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the third President of the UAE and becoming the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. PM Modi also extended an invite for the President to visit India and thanked him for taking care of the 3.5 million Indian community that lived in UAE, especially during the pandemic period.
Both the leaders talked about India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. During a virtual Summit in February this year, India and UAE signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which came into force in May.
“CEPA is expected to further boost trade and investment between both countries. Bilateral trade between India and UAE in 2021-22 was $72 billion. UAE is India’s third largest trade partner and second largest export destination. FDI in India by the UAE has increased over the past few years and is at present over $12 billion,’’ according to the Ministry of External Affairs. This agreement aims to take the bilateral trade to over $100 billion by 2030.