NEW DELHI // India will give a reception usually accorded to the president of the United States for Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, in a bid to cement its strategic partnership with the emirate, top-level Indian government sources said.
Sheikh Mohammed will arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday for a three-day visit where he will be the chief guest at India’s 2017 Republic Day celebrations from January 24 to 26. Setting aside convention and protocol and in a clear departure from precedent, prime minister Narendra Modi will receive Sheikh Mohammed personally at the airport. It will also be the first time in more than 50 years that the Indian government has invited a leader who is not a head of state or head of government to be the chief guest at its January 26 Republic Day function. As well, in another first, a military contingent from the UAE will march in the Republic Day parade.
Sources said the importance of the invitation to Sheikh Mohammad to be the Republic Day chief guest can be gauged by the fact that he was considered over the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and the Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
On Republic Day, when the Indian Constitution came into force, prominent world leaders have been the chief guests. The list includes the French president Francois Hollande (2016), the US president Barack Obama (2015), the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe (2014), the French president Nicolas Sarkozy (2008) and the Russian president Vladimir Putin (2007). After the late Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in 2006, Sheikh Mohammed will be the most prominent Arab leader in recent years to be invited as the chief guest.
India and the UAE are likely to sign 10 agreements during the state visit. Among them would be a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement that would set the tone for future dialogues, according to Indian officials.
“Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, senior officils and captains of industry. During the visit, the visiting dignitary would call on the president, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, and vice president, Mr Mohammad Hamid Ansari, and would hold discussions with prime minister Mr Narendra Modi on bilateral, regional and global issues of common interest,” the Indian government said ahead of the state visit.
______________________________
Read more: UAE-India ties
UAE has been land of plenty for generations of Indians
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed begins landmark India visit
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed’s Republic Day visit to strengthen trade ties with India
UAE and India’s close relations through the years - in pictures
business@thenational.ae
Follow The National's Business section on Twitter
