Crown Prince of Dubai and United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s Deputy Prime Minister (Dy PM) and Defence Minister, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was on his first two-day official visit to India from 8th to 9th April 2025. The visit follows an invitation extended by Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi.
- The Crown Prince, accompanied by senior officials, ministers, and business leaders, was given a ceremonial Guard of Honour on arrival.
Highlights of the Visit:
Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi welcomed the Crown Prince to his residence on Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi (Delhi) where he presented a replica of the traditional cloak worn by the Sheikh’s grandfather.
- Both leaders discussed ways to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), enhance cultural ties between India and Dubai, and expand cooperation in defence, technology, trade, space, and connectivity.
India-UAE Deepen Defence Cooperation:
Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD) had a meeting with Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in New Delhi.
i.During the meeting both leaders identified training exchanges as key to strengthening defence ties and agreed to formalise Coast Guard cooperation through an agreement.
ii.Both welcomed the India-UAE Defence Partnership Forum and discussed joint ventures (JV) under Make-in-India and Make-in-Emirates initiatives.
iii.During the meeting, India has offered the Akash air defence missile system to the UAE as part of plans to boost defence ties through joint projects, training, and technology collaboration.
Meetings with Union Ministers S. Jaishankar and Piyush Goyal:
i.During his official visit to India, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum held a meeting with Union Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs(MEA), at Hyderabad House in New Delhi
- In this meeting, Union Minister S. Jaishankar highlighted the significant deepening and broadening of the bilateral relationship between India and the UAE across various sectors.
ii.During the visit, he inaugurated the Dubai International Chamber’s second representative office in Bengaluru, Karnataka. With this inauguration, the total number of Dubai International Chamber’s international representative offices has risen to 34.
iii.Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also held a key business meeting in Mumbai (Maharashtra) with Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I). He also visited the Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE) in Mumbai.
- During the meeting, India and the UAE signed 8 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), aim to enhance cooperation in infrastructure, healthcare, higher education, maritime services, logistics, and private sector engagement.
MoUs signed:
i.As part of efforts to strengthen economic ties and promote mutual growth, Dubai Chambers formalised three MoUs with key Indian industry bodies Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
- The MoUs were signed by Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dubai Chambers; R. Mukundan, Vice President of the CII; Anant Goenka, Senior Vice President of the FICCI; Jyoti Vij, Director General(DG) of FICCI; and Sunita Ramnathkar, Vice President of the IMC.
ii.Gurgaon(Haryana) based RITES Limited, a premier transport consultancy and engineering firm under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India, has signed a MoU with Dubai-based global logistics major DP World during the ‘CEO-Connect: Dubai-India Economic Ties & Opportunities’ event held in Mumbai.
- The MoU was signed by Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DP World, and Rahul Mithal, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of RITES Limited to leverage the combined expertise of both organisations in building resilient and technology-driven supply chains.
iii.The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) signed a MoU with the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), Gujarat to establish a world-class IIMA campus in Dubai, the UAE, with its MBA (Management of Business Administration) program starting in September 2025.
- The MoU was signed by Helal Saeed Almarri, DG of Dubai DET, and Bharat Bhasker, Director of IIMA.
iv.The Dubai Health signed a MoU to establish the UAE-India Friendship Hospital (UIFH), a new not-for-profit healthcare initiative in Dubai.
v.Kochi ( Kerala)-based Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and Drydocks World (DDW) located in Dubai and part of DP World, have partnered to develop ship repair clusters in Kochi, Kerala, and Vadinar, Gujarat.
- This collaboration aims to combine their strengths and also explore offshore fabrication opportunities, working together with other organizations like Major Ports.
vi.Dubai Medical University (DMU) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi have signed an agreement to foster academic and research collaboration.
Key Announcements:
i.The New Delhi based Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) is setting up its first overseas campus at the India Pavilion in Expo City Dubai marks a major step in strengthening educational ties.
- It follows the launch of the first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus in the Middle East, located in Abu Dhabi, Dubai in 2024.
ii.Construction of Bharat Mart has begun, along with the launch of its 3-D (Three-Dimensional) model. Announcements on Bharat Mart, the Virtual Trade Corridor (VTC), and the MAITRI (Market Access and Information through Technology for Responsive International Trade) platform reflect India’s strong trade partnership with the UAE under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
Note: India-UAE Trade is expected to cross USD 97 billion and move closer to the USD 100 billion non-oil trade target.
About United Arab Emirates (UAE):
President– Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Al Nahyan
Capital– Abu Dhabi
Currency– Dirham (AED)
