Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday emplaned for Abu Dhabi, beginning a five-nation tour covering the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy from May 15 to 20. The visit aims to deepen India’s strategic partnerships across energy, trade, investment, technology, innovation and green growth..
In Abu Dhabi, the Prime Minister will hold talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on strengthening bilateral cooperation and key regional and international developments. The discussions in the UAE are expected to focus on the India-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership, with priority areas including energy security, trade, investment, cooperation, technology, culture, and people-to-people ties. Energy security is expected to remain a central theme of the engagement.
The visit comes after a series of high-level exchanges between the two countries, including the UAE President’s state visit to India in January this year and the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s participation in the AI Impact Summit in India in February.
Briefing media prior to the visit, Additional Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Aseem Mahajan said energy remains a key pillar of the relationship. He noted that the UAE was India’s fourth-largest source of crude oil last year, meeting around 11 percent of India’s requirement. He added that Indian firms have secured long-term LNG contracts with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Gas, totalling about 4.5 million metric tonnes per annum. According to him, India is now the largest buyer of LNG from the UAE.
The UAE also supplies nearly 40 percent of India’s liquefied petroleum gas imports and remains a significant destination for Indian petroleum exports. On the investment front, Indian companies have made upstream investments in UAE oil assets, including stakes in the Lower Zakum field and Abu Dhabi onshore blocks, marking a growing energy partnership. Both countries are also cooperating on strategic petroleum reserves, renewable energy projects, and potential electricity grid interconnection. The UAE is additionally a founding member of the Global Biofuels Alliance, reflecting widening cooperation in clean energy transition.
India and the UAE have moved far beyond the traditional crude oil trade that once defined their energy relationship. The UAE remains a key oil supplier to India, but the partnership has now expanded into natural gas, renewable energy and civil nuclear cooperation. Earlier this year, Hindustan Petroleum signed a ten-year deal with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company for half-a-million tonnes of LNG annually beginning 2028, giving India greater price stability by reducing its reliance on spot markets.
Renewable energy and civil nuclear cooperation are also gaining ground. UAE sovereign wealth funds are actively investing in India’s solar infrastructure, while India’s SHANTI Act, which opens the nuclear sector to private players, has created fresh scope for collaboration on reactors, including Small Modular Reactors. Both sides are also pushing to settle energy transactions in rupees and dirhams, reducing dollar dependence in bilateral trade. From oil to LNG, clean energy to nuclear, the India-UAE energy partnership is being redrawn for a decarbonising world.
On the occasion of the Prime Minister’s eighth visit to the Emirates, Indian Ambassador to the UAE Shri Deepak Mittal said the visit of the Hon’ble Prime Minister is highly opportune, coming at a time when the region is witnessing unprecedented developments and challenges.
The visit is expected to further strengthen the India-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership, focusing on energy security, investment flows, and emerging technologies. It also comes at a time when both countries are looking to deepen coordination on regional stability and long-term economic cooperation.
