NEW DELHI: The President of the United Arab Emirates Mohamed Bin Zayed is set to visit India on January 19. The bilateral visit aims to accelerate the defence, trade, investment and energy partnership between both the countries. Moreover, the visit of the UAE President is deemed as strategically pivotal as it comes at a geopolitically critical juncture when the West Asian latitude is fragmented and the region is embroiled in multiple tensions. The latest visit thus gives a strategic leverage for both New Delhi and Abu Dhabi amidst fractured geopolitical landscape. It helps India to harness its strategic interests in West Asia and gives the UAE a credible and resilient strategic partner when the region in its vicinity is jeopardized.
Along with the comprehensive bilateral issues, the escalating situation in West Asia is also said to be discussed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This includes, spiking unrest in Iran, the Israel-Gaza conflict, crisis in Syria, rift between UAE and Saudi Arabia over Yemen etc. The President of the United Arab Emirates(UAE) is visiting India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India is also considering the UAE as a potential partner in its energy diversification strategy. Thus, energy is deemed as a major criteria during the upcoming bilateral discussions. The Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that this is the third official visit of the President of UAE to India since assuming the office.
India-UAE partnership has been elevated to greater heights and has been emerging in a stronger, comprehensive way since both the nations inked the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement(CEPA) in 2022. The CEPA is a Free Trade Deal(FTA) that aims to boost bilateral trade by reducing tariffs and other technical barriers, thus enhancing the market access for India’s labour-intensive products such as gems, textiles and other pharmaceutical products. The agreement also aims to attract more UAE investment into the Indian market. It also aims to consolidate rapid digital trade.
Emphasizing the visit of the UAE President, The Ministry of External Affairs asserted that India and the UAE share warm, close and multi-faceted relations underpinned by strong social, political, economic, defence and cultural ties. In fact, both countries are each other’s top trading and investment partners. In the financial year 2024-25, India-UAE bilateral trade has crossed a massive USD 100 billion mark, which was mainly facilitated by the CEPA. The UAE is India’s third largest trading partner and second largest export market. In 2024, India and the UAE also signed a Bilateral Investment Treaty(BIT) that predominantly attracts UAE FDI into India. The latest visit thus will render a platform to further propel India-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership.
