Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan engaged in a bilateral meeting, during which the exchange of several Memoranda of Understanding took place.

During the meeting with the UAE President, PM Modi stated "Brother, firstly, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for your warm welcome. We have met five times in the last seven months, which is very rare. I have also got the opportunity to come here seven times... the way we have progressed in every field, there is a joint partnership between India and UAE in every field."  

The meeting saw the presence of Indian delegates including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra. Upon arrival at the airport, PM Modi received a warm welcome from UAE President Al Nahyan, where the two leaders exchanged handshakes and embraced each other.

In a post on social media platform X, Prime Minister Modi expressed gratitude towards HH @Mohamed Bin Zayed for personally receiving him at Abu Dhabi airport, stating his anticipation for a productive visit aimed at strengthening the friendship between India and the UAE.

According to the MEA statement, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of several agreements during their meeting, including a Bilateral Investment Treaty, an MoU on cooperation in the field of electrical interconnection and trade, an Intergovernmental Framework Agreement between India and UAE on the India-Middle East Economic Corridor, and an MoU on cooperation in Digital Infrastructure Projects.

Additionally, they also agreed upon an Agreement on interlinking of the instant payment platforms - UPI (India) and AANI (UAE), as well as an Agreement on inter-linking domestic debit/credit cards - RuPay (India) with JAYWAN (UAE).

Before his departure, the Prime Minister took to X to convey his excitement about meeting with his "brother," the President of the UAE, with whom he shares a strong rapport. Modi's post on X further indicated his eagerness to meet with @Mohamed Bin Zayed during his upcoming visit to the UAE and Qatar, emphasizing the significance of the visit in deepening India's bilateral relations with these nations.

According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, Prime Minister Modi's visit to the Gulf country marks his third trip to the region in the past eight months. In addition to his meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, PM Modi is scheduled to participate in the World Government Summit 2024, during which he will deliver a special keynote address.

Image source: ANI