President Sheikh Mohamed holds talks with Indian Foreign Minister in Abu Dhabi

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is in the UAE on an official three-day visit

President Sheikh Mohamed on Tuesday held a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at Al Bahr Palace in Abu Dhabi.

Mr Jaishankar conveyed the greetings of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Sheikh Mohamed responding to convey his wish for a strengthening of ties between the UAE and India.

The meeting, which was also attended by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and international issues of common interest, state news agency Wam reported.

It followed an earlier meeting that Mr Jaishankar, who is in the UAE on an official three-day visit, had with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, which focused on driving comprehensive and sustainable development across vital sectors in both nations.

Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation, and Saif Ghobash, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, also attended.

Earlier on Tuesday, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, also held talks with Mr Jaishankar in Abu Dhabi.

During their meeting, Sheikh Abdullah and Mr Jaishankar underlined the need to explore ways to strengthen collaboration across economic, commercial, investment and cultural sectors. The ministers exchanged views on a number of regional and international developments, state news agency Wam reported.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the ministers also reviewed "the close partnership between the two countries and explored avenues to further enhance the bilateral relationship".

Building 'new momentum'

Mr Jaishankar also delivered the keynote address at the inaugural session of Raisina Middle East in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, in which he stressed the "immense significance" of the Gulf for India.

Mr Jaishankar's visit, the Indian ministry added, will provide an opportunity to advance the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) and "add new momentum" to the relationship.

On Monday, the Indian Foreign Minister addressed an event held to mark the 75th anniversary of India's Republic Day in Abu Dhabi and expressed confidence that "collaboration [with the UAE] on international platforms will only get stronger".

He added that the Indian resident population in the UAE had grown from 2.5 million in 2015 to more than four million, while tourism numbers were up to 4.5 million annually. "These numbers speak of the warmth and cordiality that today characterises our relationship [with the UAE]," he said.

Mr Jaishankar noted that since the Cepa was signed with the UAE, trade and investment have expanded, and currency trading and FinTech have flourished.

The UAE-India partnership has strengthened over the years, with six top-level visits between the countries in the past 18 months. In 2022, Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Modi issued a Joint Vision Statement outlining a road map for future relations between the countries.