Overview of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s Visit to India on January 19, 2026

On January 19, 2026, the President of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan undertook a one-day visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.

• The visit marks his third visit as UAE President and fifth visit overall to India.

Highlights of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s Visit to India:

Arrival: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed arrived at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi(Delhi), where he was welcomed by PM Narendra Modi.

Gifts Presented: PM Narendra Modi gifted Royal Carved Wooden Jhula (Swing), symbolizing togetherness, conversation and family bonding, from Gujarat.

• He also gifted Pashmina Shawl from Kashmir, placed in a decorative silver box made in Telangana, representing India’s rich handloom and artisanal heritage.
• A Pashmina shawl and Kashmiri saffron, renowned for its aroma and crimson strands were gifted to Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi, mother of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed.

Bilateral Meeting: PM Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed held bilateral meetings, with a focus on trade expansion, and reviewed and strengthened the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).

Key Outcomes:

During UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit, India and the UAE announced several initiatives in trade, technology, energy, digital cooperation, culture, and people-to-people ties to strengthen long-term bilateral relations and economic integration.

Trade Expansion: India and the UAE have formally agreed to build on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and set an ambitious goal of doubling the bilateral trade to over USD 200 billion by 2032.

• They also agreed to focus on connecting Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through initiatives such as Bharat Mart, Virtual Trade Corridor, and Bharat-Africa Setu.

Supercomputing Cluster Collaboration: During the meeting, the leaders announced Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and Group 42 Holding Limited (G-42) will collaborate to set up a supercomputing cluster under the India Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mission.

• The facility will be accessible to public and private sectors for the purposes, including research, application development, and commercial use, supporting innovation and advanced technology development in India.

Civil Nuclear Cooperation: Agreed to develop a partnership in advanced nuclear technologies, including development and deployment of large nuclear reactors and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and cooperation in advanced reactor systems, nuclear power plant operations and maintenance, and nuclear safety.

• The move aims to build opportunities from India’s Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act 2025.

Trade and Investment Promotion: The First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) will open a branch in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT-City), Gandhinagar (Gujarat), to promote trade and investment.

• DP World will operate from GIFT City, including ship leasing for its global business.

Digital Embassies: The leaders agreed to explore setting up Digital Embassies under mutually recognized sovereignty arrangements.

Cultural Center: Agreed in principle to establish a cultural center ‘House of India’ in Abu Dhabi (UAE), including a museum showcasing Indian art, heritage, and archaeology.

Youth Exchange Promotion: Agreed in principle to organize youth delegate visits to strengthen cultural ties, academic collaboration, and mutual understanding between future generations.

Key Agreements Signed:

Dholera SIR Development: A Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed between the Government of Gujarat and the Ministry of Investment of the UAE for Dholera , Special Investment Region (SIR) in Gujarat.

• The LoI focuses on building an international airport, pilot training and aircraft maintenance facilities, a new port, a smart city, railway links, and energy infrastructure.

Space Infrastructure: A LoI was signed between Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), under the Department of Space (DoS), and the UAE Space Agency.

• The LoI aims to develop India-UAE joint space infrastructure and commercial activities, including launch facilities, manufacturing and tech zones, start-up incubation and accelerator centers, training institutes, and exchange programs.

Defence Partnership: A LoI was signed between Government of India (GoI) and the UAE, with an aim to work together to create a Strategic Defence Partnership and strengthen defence cooperation in areas such as industry, technology, training, education, special operations, cyber security, and counterterrorism.

LNG Supply: A Sales & Purchase Agreement (SPA) was signed between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Gas (ADNOC Gas) for a period of 10 years.

• The agreement enables HPCL to buy 0.5 Million Tonnes Per Annum(MTPA) of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) per year from ADNOC Gas for 10 years from 2028.

Food Sector Cooperation: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I) and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment of UAE.

• The MoU sets sanitary and quality standards to boost trade and cooperation in the food sector, promote exports of rice and other agricultural products from India to the UAE, support Indian farmers, and enhance UAE’s food security.

India–UAE Relations:

Diplomatic Relations:India and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 1972 and cooperate closely across multilateral platforms including BRICS(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), I2U2( (India-Israel-UAE-United States of America(USA)), and the UAE-France-India Trilateral.

Economic Partnership:India and the UAE, which signed the CEPA in 2022, recorded rapid growth in bilateral trade, reaching USD 100 billion in Financial Year 2024-25(FY25).

About United Arab Emirates (UAE):
President – Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Capital – Abu Dhabi
Currency – UAE Dirham (AED)