NewzVille Desk
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Abu Dhabi tomorrow, as the first stop of a five-nation tour that will take him through the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy. Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sibi George informed that on the first leg of his five-nation visit, Modi will meet UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
He said, the two leaders will exchange views on bilateral issues, in particular energy cooperation, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
This will be the second face-to-face meeting between Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in just five months. The two leaders last met in January, when the UAE President travelled to New Delhi for talks covering technology, artificial intelligence, the economy and food security.
Both sides are expected to advance their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership tomorrow, with the welfare of more than four million Indians living in the UAE also on the agenda.
Energy security will dominate the agenda, with India looking to secure stable supplies amid rising geopolitical tensions in West Asia and continued pressure on global oil markets.
India and the UAE share one of the most significant energy partnerships in the region. The UAE is currently the fourth largest source of crude oil for India, meeting nearly eleven percent of the country’s total requirement. On liquefied natural gas, Indian companies have locked in long-term supply deals with Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC Gas for a cumulative four-point-five million tonnes per year. Now lets hear from Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary, Gulf.
The linking of India’s UPI payments platform with the UAE’s AANI system has already transformed cross-border transactions for businesses and the Indian diaspora. The UAE remains India’s third-largest trading partner and the seventh-largest cumulative source of foreign investment over the past twenty-five years. As West Asia navigates one of its most turbulent periods in recent memory, Friday’s meeting in Abu Dhabi is being seen as an important anchor of stability and long-term strategic intent for both nations.
