The official visit of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, to the friendly Republic of India tomorrow, Sunday, embodies the depth of the solid strategic and historical relations between the two friendly countries.
The visit represents a new and important step in the path of strengthening and developing relations between the two countries, which have become an international model to be emulated in constructive cooperation in the fields of economic cooperation, stimulating investments, inter-trade, promoting sustainable development, confronting the challenges of climate change, and supporting stability and global peace.
The UAE-India relations derive their strength and momentum from a long history of bilateral meetings between the leaders of the two countries, dating back to January 1975, when the late founding leader Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may God rest his soul in peace) paid a historic visit to India, during which he met with the late Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, the then President of the Republic of India, and the late Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. The visit witnessed the signing of the Cultural Agreement between the UAE and the Republic of India, which is the basic framework for strengthening cultural relations between the two friendly peoples.
The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless his soul, also visited the Republic of India in April 1992, and the visit witnessed the signing of the bilateral agreement to avoid double taxation on income and capital between the two countries.
The visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, to the Republic of India in January 2017 represented a qualitative shift in bilateral relations between the two countries, as it witnessed the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, in addition to 13 other agreements and memoranda of understanding between the two countries in various fields.
In contrast, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, made his first visit to the UAE in August 2015, followed by 6 more visits in February 2018, August 2019, June 2022, July 2023, December 2023, and February 2024.
Bilateral relations between the UAE and the Republic of India reached new heights on February 18, 2022, through the joint vision statement between the two countries, which was launched virtually in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, and Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, where the two sides agreed to strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, specifically in the fields of economy, culture, energy, climate action, renewable energy, technology and skills, food security, health, education, international partnerships, defense and security.
Moreover, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed, which aims to increase investment and trade flows based on low tariffs and increased regulatory efficiency, paving the way for increasing the volume of bilateral non-oil trade to $100 billion by 2030.
Up until 2024, the efforts of both the UAE and the Republic of India have made significant progress in maintaining their ongoing ties through holding 14 rounds of the Joint Committee, the last of which was held on September 1, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, in addition to holding 3 sessions of the Strategic Dialogue between the two countries, the last of which was held on September 2, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and His Excellency Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India.
Strengthening and developing political relations is of great interest to the two countries, whose diplomatic relations were established in 1972. Since then, the two sides have made sincere and tangible efforts to strengthen their bilateral relations, which was evident in the signing of more than 96 bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding in various fields.
The UAE and India support each other in international forums, and work to enhance cooperation on many international issues such as climate change, sustainable development, and world peace.
Economic cooperation between the UAE and the Republic of India is witnessing continuous momentum in the fields and activities of the circular economy, tourism, aviation, entrepreneurship, small and medium enterprises, renewable energy, technology, digital transformation, and transportation.
The UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed on February 18, 2022, is the UAE’s first bilateral agreement under the Global Economic Agreements Programme.
Total non-oil trade between the two countries increased by 3.94% from US$51.4 billion in 2022 to US$53.4 billion in 2023.
Total UAE investment flows to India amounted to about $16.2 billion for the period from 2019 to 2023, while Indian investments in the UAE amounted to $7.76 billion during the same period.
UAE investments in India include multiple sectors, most notably renewable energy, minerals, software, IT services, chemicals, and automotive original equipment manufacturing. The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in the UAE and contributes significantly to the local economy.
The UAE and India share deep-rooted cultural ties, which were strengthened by the bilateral cultural agreement signed in 1975. Since then, a large number of joint cultural and artistic events and activities have been organised, while March 2019 witnessed the inauguration of the Zayed-Gandhi Digital Museum at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, which was established in honour of the memory of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless his soul, and Mahatma Gandhi, the late Indian leader.
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