Source : Firstpost
 |
| Picture source : Twitter @MEAIndia and @narendramodi |
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday concluded his visit to the UAE.
PM Modi called on the president of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since August 2019 when Prime Minister visited Abu Dhabi last.
“The main purpose of the visit was for Prime Minister to convey his personal condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan last month. Prime Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as well as family members including H.H. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Advisor, H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Dy Prime Minister, H.H. Sheikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, MD, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation among others,” the MEA in a press release said.
Prime Minister also congratulated Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the third President of the UAE and becoming the ruler of Abu Dhabi, the release added.
“Both leaders reviewed various aspects of India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership which they have carefully nurtured over the past few years. During their Virtual Summit on 18 February, both countries signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which has since entered into force on 01 May. CEPA is expected to further boost trade and investment between both countries. Bilateral trade in FY 2021-22 was about $72 billion. UAE is India’s third largest trade partner and second largest export destination. UAE FDI in India has continuously increased over the past few years and currently stands at over $12 billion,” the release said.
In a special gesture, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan saw PM Modi off at the airport.
The UAE President had also received PM Modi on his arrival at the airport in Abu Dhabi.
The Prime Minister arrived in Abu Dhabi 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.
India had announced one day of State mourning following the demise of Sheikh Khalifa.
Sheikh Khalifa was the eldest son of UAE’s founder President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He served as the President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi from 3 November, 2004 till his death on 13 May, 2022.
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu last month visited the UAE and offered condolences to the UAE leadership on the demise of Sheikh Khalifa.
During his last visit to the UAE was in August 2019, PM Modi received the UAE’s highest award, ‘Order of Zayed’ conferred upon him by the UAE President.
During a special briefing ahead of PM Modi’s visit on 24 June, 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.
