India and the UAE are expected to further strengthen their strategic, economic and technology partnership when Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
The visit comes amid a year of intensified high-level engagement between the two countries, most recently marked by Sheikh Mohamed’s visit to New Delhi in January. During the visit, the two leaders reviewed the full scope of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and witnessed the signing of several key agreements, including a Letter of Intent aimed at establishing a formal strategic defence partnership — a major step forward in bilateral security cooperation.
Energy ties have also expanded significantly. Earlier this year, ADNOC Gas and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited signed a 10-year liquefied natural gas supply agreement valued at an estimated 3 billion US dollars. India and the UAE have also reaffirmed their commitment to increase bilateral trade to 200 billion US dollars by 2032 under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
The two countries are also stepping up cooperation in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. Officials have agreed to work on establishing a supercomputing cluster in India, while also studying the possibility of creating digital embassies between the two nations.
Speaking to Akashvani, Indian Ambassador to the UAE Deepak Mittal said, “We are looking at new areas of technology, AI, defence, security and culture. Across every domain, the partnership exists.” He added that Prime Minister Modi’s visit is “very opportune, happening at a time when the region is going through some unprecedented times.”
Meanwhile, Siddharth Balachandran, Chairman of the Indian Business and Professional Council Dubai and a Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardee, said the visit reflects the “deep strategic and economic partnership” between India and the UAE.
He noted that the Indian business community in the UAE deeply values this enduring relationship, which continues to create new opportunities for enterprise, collaboration and shared prosperity for both nations.
The UAE remains India’s second-largest export destination, with Indian exports reaching around 37 billion US dollars, while imports from the UAE stood at approximately 63 billion US dollars. More than four million Indians live and work in the Emirates, reinforcing the strong people-to-people ties underpinning the bilateral relationship.
