UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan receives Indian President Narendra Modi at the airport in Abu Dhabi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the UAE on Tuesday on a brief visit to convey his personal condolences on the demise of former president of the Gulf nation and Abu Dhabi ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He was received by President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his arrival at the airport in Abu Dhabi.
“I am touched by the special gesture of my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, of coming to welcome me at Abu Dhabi airport. My gratitude to him,” the Indian prime minister tweeted later.
Modi arrived in the UAE after attending a productive G7 Summit in Germany where he interacted with several world leaders on the margins of the summit and discussed issues aimed at furthering global well-being and prosperity.
In the UAE, Modi will convey his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa, who died on May 13 at the age of 73 after a long illness. He had expressed grief over his death, calling him a great statesman and visionary leader under whom India-UAE relations prospered. India had announced one day of State mourning following the demise of Sheikh Khalifa.
The last visit by PM Modi to the UAE was in August 2019 during which he received the UAE’s highest award, ‘Order of Zayed’ conferred upon him by the UAE President.
During a special briefing ahead of Modi’s visit, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said the Prime Minister will hold a meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and it will be their first interaction after the UAE leader’s election as the new President of the Gulf nation.
The UAE was India’s third-largest trading partner for the year 2019-20 after China and United States, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The UAE is the third-largest export destination of India (after the U.S. and China) with an amount of nearly $16 billion for the year 2020-21. For the UAE, India is the third-largest trading partner for the year 2020 with an amount of around $27.93 billion (non-oil trade).
Indian expatriate community of approximately 3.4 million is the largest ethnic community in UAE constituting roughly about 35% of the country’s population
Indian Business community in the UAE welcomed Modi’s visit.
Dr Azad Moopen, Chairman and MD, Aster DM Healthcare said, “The UAE and India have shared a strong bond for decades which has been strengthened further this year with the signing of the CEPA. Apart from the country to country and people to people relationship between the two countries, President of UAE HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and PM Narendra Modi share a very strong personal equation and friendship and this visit is the first after HH Sheik Mohammed Bin Zayed has assumed office as the President. From a business angle, CEPA is expected to double the bilateral trade to $100 billion in the next five years, up from the current $50-60 billion at present, while eliminating tariffs on a range of products being exported by India and the UAE. The visit is expected to reaffirm the commitment of the two governments which would see the various Indian and UAE businesses seizing the opportunities and making more investments in either country.”
Kamal Vachani, Partner and Group Director of Al Maya Group said that Prime Minister Modi’s fourth trip to the UAE is significant for several reasons. “The benefits of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which came into effect earlier this year, is expected to occupy centrestage during Modi’s visit to the UAE. CEPA will boost further trade volumes to a large extent. India will export not only traditional items, but also new products. The UAE residents will enjoy new products from India as new companies will enter UAE through opening of new trade channel,” he said.
Bobby Naqvi, former Editor of Gulf News said, “PM’s visit to the UAE is significant in many ways. First, from May, India and UAE operationalized the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Second, it is coming in the backdrop of the GCC countries’ condemnation of offensive remarks made by BJP spokespersons against the Prophet of Islam. Repairing the damage and putting relations back on track must be on top of the visit’s agenda. There is also the protocol of the death of UAE’s former President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.”
Chandu Siroya, Vice Chairman, Dubai Gold and Jwellary Group and MD Siroya Jewellers said that PM Modi’s visit will definitely add value to the relations in terms of diplomacy and business. “As we all know that PM Modi has a good personal relations with the rulers of UAE, every Indian will be benefited with this visit, as now India and the UAE are sharing the relations at multiple levels including culture, entertainment and import and export,” he said.
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Industry leader in the steel sector, Bharat Bhatia, founder & CEO of Conares, added that the visit from PM Modi is exciting not just for the Indian business community, but for the entire Indian community in the UAE as a whole. “Recently, the signing of the CEPA has created countless new opportunities for investment in the two countries. It will therefore be interesting, to keep an eye on this latest visit as it may define economic development for both countries in the next few years. Moreover, PM Modi’s visit will enhance the bilateral relationship between India and the UAE as well,” he said.
“This visit might be to reaffirm India’s strong commitment to and strategic partnership with the UAE. It is understood that Prime Minister Modi will, while expressing his condolences to the late President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed and congratulating President HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on his becoming the UAE President, will also push for strengthening ties under the CEPA. Both countries are optimistic to raise the two-way trade to US$100 billion. We might hear some announcement towards that direction,” Mr Rizwan Sajan, Founder and Chairman of Danube Group, said.
“As private sector players, we are ready to play our our role within the CEPA framework and we are waiting to see how we can expand our role to strengthen the relationship.”