Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew to the UAE and Qatar from New Delhi on Tuesday morning for a two-day official visit. Referring to his visit, he took to the social media platform X posting that he is ‘looking forward to meeting with his brother, the President of UAE.’
In the UAE, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The two had last met in Gujarat during the ‘Vibrant Gujarat 2024’ in January 9. He will also meet the Vice President, Prime Minister, and Defense Minister of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
In their bilateral meeting the Prime Minister and UAE President are expected to discuss strengthening of ties in a number of economic areas including energy security, energy trade, fintech connectivity, railways, ports and maritime logistics, capital flows and digital infrastructure, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Official Tour Between February 13 to 15
As per the official statement of the Prime Minister, he is travelling to the United Arab Emirates from 13-14 February and to Qatar from 14-15 February. It will be Narendra Modi’s seventh visit to the UAE and second visit to Qatar since 2014.
The statement stated that over the past nine years, cooperation with UAE has grown several times in diverse sectors such as trade and investment, defense and security, food, energy security and education. The cultural and people-to-people connect between the two nations is stronger than ever.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that he looking forward to meeting His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of UAE, in Abu Dhabi and taking part in wide-ranging discussions to further the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
At the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, PM and Defence Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, he will be addressing the gathering of world leaders at the World Government Summit in Dubai on 14 Feb 2024.
His discussions with Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid on the margins of Summit will focus on strengthening the multifaceted ties with Dubai.
Inauguration of BAPS Temple in Abu Dhabi
During the visit, he is also scheduled to inaugurate the first Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi. The BAPS temple will be a continuing tribute to the values of harmony, peace and tolerance that both India and the UAE share.
Thereafter, he will address the members of the Indian Community from all the Emirates of the UAE at a special event in Abu Dhabi.
In Qatar, he would be meeting Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir and other senior dignitaries in Qatar. Both nations have been historically close and enjoyed friendly relations, and ties between the two have continued to deepen in all spheres including high level political exchanges, growing trade and investment between two countries, strengthening partnership, and cooperation in culture and education. The presence of over 800,000 strong Indian community in Doha is a testament to the strong people-to-people ties between the nations.
Bengali