‘Pleased to meet PM Modi, committed to fostering economic growth’: UAE President concludes 3-hour India visit

NEW DELHI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday concluded his three-hour visit to New Delhi during which he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sealed key agreements to enhance cooperation between Abu Dhabi and New Delhi.

In a post on X, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said that he was pleased to meet PM Modi and expressed commitment to foster sustainable development and economic growth with mutual bilateral cooperation.

“Today I was pleased to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to discuss opportunities to further strengthen the deep-rooted and historical ties of cooperation between our countries,” he said.

“Committed to fostering sustainable development and economic growth, the UAE and India will continue working together to drive progress in future-focused sectors while achieving mutual benefit for our nations and peoples”, he added.

بحثت اليوم في نيودلهي مع دولة ناريندرا مودي آفاق تطوير العلاقات الثنائية، لا سيما في القطاعات الحيوية التي تدعم الأولويات التنموية المشتركة للإمارات والهند، وتعزز مسار الشراكة الإستراتيجية الراسخة والممتدة بين البلدين، بما يحقق الازدهار لشعبيهما. مد جسور التعاون من أجل الخير… pic.twitter.com/MvSAfrFvPw

— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) January 19, 2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it was a pleasure to host the UAE President, affirming both nations’ aim to strengthen the multifaceted friendship

“It was a great pleasure to host my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. I am deeply touched by his gesture of visiting Delhi this evening. We discussed a wide range of issues aimed at further strengthening the multifaceted India-UAE friendship”, PM Modi said in a post on X.

It was a great pleasure to host my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. I am deeply touched by his gesture of visiting Delhi this evening. We discussed a wide range of issues aimed at further strengthening the multifaceted India-UAE… pic.twitter.com/yzXAt7Mx43

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 19, 2026

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar accompanied the UAE President to the Delhi Airport as the latter concluded the key three-hour-long visit.

MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in a post on X, said, “A successful visit concludes! The visit of President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed led to significant outcomes and further deepening of the comprehensive strategic partnership between India and the UAE. He was seen off by EAM S Jaishankar”.

A successful visit concludes!

The visit of President HH Sheikh @MohamedBinZayed led to significant outcomes and further deepening of comprehensive strategic partnership between India and UAE. He was seen off by EAM @DrSJaishankar.

- pic.twitter.com/U9Ei8qmkVa

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) January 19, 2026

Weighing in on the visit, foreign expert Waiel Awwad said this was a very important visit in the times of adverse geopolitical shifts.

“UAE has great relations with India in terms of trade and partnership… This is very important in the times of adverse geopolitical shifts… There is also great bilateral trade between the two countries, which has completed a trade worth $100 billion, and they (UAE) also want to invest $75 billion. 43 lakh Indians reside in Dubai… India and the UAE are great economic and political partners”, he said.

During the visit, India and the UAE signed a Letter of Intent on investment cooperation between the Government of Gujarat and the UAE Ministry of Investment for the development of the Dholera Special Investment Region.

The envisioned partnership includes the creation of strategic infrastructure, such as an international airport, a greenfield port, a smart urban township, railway connectivity, energy infrastructure, and aviation training and aircraft maintenance facilities.

Both sides also agreed to work towards establishing a Strategic Defence Partnership Framework Agreement, aimed at expanding defence cooperation in areas including defence industrial collaboration, advanced technologies, training and education, special operations, cyber security, counter-terrorism and interoperability.

Additionally, India and the UAE agreed to double bilateral trade to over $200 billion by 2032, with a focus on linking MSMEs, promoting new markets and leveraging initiatives such as Bharat Mart, the Virtual Trade Corridor and Bharat-Africa Setu.

The two sides also agreed to promote bilateral civil nuclear cooperation, building on opportunities created by India’s SHANTI Act 2025. Cooperation will cover advanced nuclear technologies, including large reactors and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), as well as nuclear safety, operations and maintenance. (ANI)