Burj Khalifa lit up with ‘Guest of Honor-Republic of India’

DUBAI: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at the World Government Summit, Burj Khalifa in Dubai lit up with the words ‘Guest of Honor-Republic of India.’

Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has extended a warm welcome to PM Modi. He noted that the strong ties between the two nations serve as a model for international cooperation.

At the invitation of UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, PM Modi will participate in the World Government Summit 2024, to be held in Dubai as a Guest of Honour and deliver a special keynote address at the Summit.

Dubai's Burj Khalifa lit up with the words 'Guest of Honor-Republic of India' ahead of PM Modi's address to the World Government Summit pic.twitter.com/GLxj1suFBH

— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2024

In a post on X, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum stated that the World Government Summit has evolved into one of the world’s leading platforms for sharing best practices of governance, success stories and initiatives.

Taking to X, Dubai’s Crown Prince stated, “We extend a warm welcome to the Republic of India, the guest of honour at this year’s World Governments Summit, and to His Excellency Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India. The strong ties between our nations serve as a model for international cooperation.

“The @WorldGovSummit has evolved into one of the world’s leading platforms for sharing governance best practices, success stories and initiatives, and envisioning the future of government. It is a pleasure to have India as a distinguished guest at this international event, where it will showcase its innovations, initiatives and projects across diverse sectors that are a model for accelerating development for government service delivery.”

PM Modi, who is on a two-day official visit to the UAE, will meet UAE Vice President Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. During his visit to the UAE, PM Modi will inaugurate the BAPS Mandir in Abu Dhabi.

Earlier on Tuesday, PM Narendra Modi and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a bilateral meeting, and several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were exchanged in their presence here on Tuesday.

“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,” said PM Modi in a meeting with the UAE President.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra were present in the meeting.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the first batch of students from the IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi Campus and appreciated the project for bringing the students of two countries together. He also addressed the Indian diaspora in the ‘Ahlan Modi’ event at Zayed Sports Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Upon his arrival at the airport, PM Modi was welcomed by UAE President Al Nahyan. The two leaders shook hands and hugged each other. It is PM Modi’s seventh visit to the UAE since 2015 and the third in the last eight months.

In a press release, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “India and UAE enjoy warm, close and multi-faceted relations underpinned by strong political, cultural and economic linkages.”

“Following the landmark visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to the UAE in August 2015, bilateral relations between the two countries have been elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Both countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in February 2022 and a Local Currency Settlement (LCS) System in July 2023 to promote the use of the Indian Rupee and AED for cross-border transactions,” it added.

According to an MEA press release, India and the UAE are among each other’s top trading partners, with a bilateral trade of about USD 85 billion in 2022-23. The UAE is also among the top four investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments in 2022-23.

In the press release, MEA stated, “About 3.5 million strong and vibrant Indian community form the largest expatriate group in UAE. Their positive and well-appreciated contribution in the development of their host country has been an important anchor of our excellent bilateral engagement with the UAE.” (ANI)