Sheikh Khaled to begin official visit to India on Sunday

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi will discuss ways to strengthen countries' economic ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, begins a state visit to India on Sunday, September 8. Omar Al Askar / UAE Presidential Court

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, will begin an official visit to India on Sunday.

He will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and discussions are set to focus on strengthening of ties across key economic sectors, state news agency Wam reported.

Sheikh Khaled, also chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, senior officials, business leaders, and prominent economic partners from the UAE.

The Crown Prince is also set to attend several events that highlight the strong bond between the two countries.

Earlier this week, Sheikh Khaled attended the inauguration of the first international campus of India’s prestigious Indian Institute of Technology in the UAE capital and highlighted how it would help to develop the skills of the nation's young talent.

Sheikh Khaled was on hand as a series of deals between the Abu Dhabi IIT and a number of the emirate's leading universities was made.

The partnership is in line with the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa), which came into effect in February 2022 and seeks to bolster ties between the nations.

Mr Modi visited the UAE in February and inaugurated the landmark Baps Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi. The countries also signed a pact to expand bilateral investment co-operation in digital infrastructure.

While in January, President Sheikh Mohamed visited India and met Mr Modi while attending the Vibrant Gujarat business summit.

Historic ties

Wam reported that the visit "marks a major stride in the continuing development of UAE-India ties, which have become an international model of constructive co-operation, particularly in areas, such as economic and sustainable development, investment, trade, climate action, and promoting global stability and peace".

Wam said that UAE-India relations draw strength and momentum from a long history of bilateral meetings between the leaders of both nations, beginning in January 1975 when the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, made a historic visit to India. He met the then-president of India, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, and the then-prime minister, Indira Gandhi. The visit saw the signing of the Cultural Agreement between the UAE and India, which serves as the primary framework for strengthening cultural ties between their peoples.

Sheikh Zayed also visited India in April 1992, during which the bilateral agreement to avoid double taxation on income and capital was signed between the two countries, Wam reported.

It said that the visit of President Sheikh Mohamed, who at the time was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in January 2017, marked a turning point in bilateral relations, with the signing of the Cepa, along with 13 other agreements and memorandums of understanding in various fields.