Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, on Sunday arrived in India for an official visit in which he will hold talks with the country's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Sheikh Khaled was met in New Delhi by Piyush Goyal, India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, after touching down at the airport on an Etihad plane.
He received a red-carpet reception during which the national anthems of both countries were played, before being greeted by a ceremonial guard of honour and a traditional cultural performance.
Sheikh Khaled's delegation includes Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation, Mohammed Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment, and Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority, Abu Dhabi Media Office said.
Sheikh Khaled is set to attend several events that highlight the bond between the two countries during the tour.
He is expected to meet Mr Modi and Indian President Droupadi Murmu on Monday, according to an itinerary shared by Indian authorities.
Sheikh Khaled is due to also visit Rajghat, the memorial site built in honour of Mahatma Gandhi, on the same day. The Crown Prince will also visit India's financial capital Mumbai on Tuesday to attend a business forum.
Earlier this week, Sheikh Khaled attended the inauguration of the first international campus of the Indian Institute of Technology in the UAE capital and highlighted how it would help to develop the skills of the nation's young talent. He witnessed a series of deals between the Abu Dhabi IIT and several of the emirate's leading universities being made.
The partnership is in line with the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa), which came into effect in February 2022.
Mr Modi visited the UAE in February and inaugurated the Baps Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi. The countries also signed a pact to expand bilateral investment co-operation in digital infrastructure.
In January, President Sheikh Mohamed visited India and met Mr Modi while attending the Vibrant Gujarat business summit.
Historic ties
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”, state news agency Wam reported.
It 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 UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, made a historic visit to India.
He met the Indian president at the time, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, and the 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 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.
High-profile visit
Sheikh Khaled's visit to India is the most significant overseas engagement he has carried out since being named Crown Prince in March 2023. In May last year, he embarked on a trip to Malaysia, where he met the country's king and prime minister.
Sheikh Khaled attended a royal reception hosted by King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah in Kuala Lumpur.
The Malaysian monarch gave Sheikh Khaled two medals in recognition of his work in furthering the friendship between the nations at a ceremony at the Istana Negara Palace.
In March, Sheikh Khaled travelled to Manama to meet Bahrain's King Hamad at Al Sakhir Palace.
Before becoming Crown Prince, Sheikh Khaled led a UAE delegation at the state funeral of assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo.
Sheikh Khaled was joined by political leaders and heads of state from around the world, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad, at the service in September 2022.
