MENA Newswire, NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the airport in New Delhi on Monday, as the two leaders held talks and announced a series of agreements and initiatives spanning trade, energy, technology, infrastructure and security cooperation. Indian authorities said the visit underscored the continuing expansion of the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with both sides directing officials to advance workstreams launched in recent years and to accelerate new projects agreed during the trip.
In a joint statement, Modi and Sheikh Mohamed reviewed bilateral cooperation and said the relationship has strengthened over the past decade. The statement noted the UAE leader’s official visit on Jan. 19, and said it was his fifth visit to India in the last 10 years and his third official visit as UAE president. The two leaders also cited recent visits to India by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The leaders welcomed growth in trade and economic ties since the 2022 Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, with bilateral trade reaching $100 billion in fiscal year 2024-25. They set a goal to double bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032, and called for faster implementation of initiatives including Bharat Mart, the Virtual Trade Corridor and the Bharat-Africa Setu to promote MSME products across the Middle East, West Asia, Africa and the Eurasia region. India and the UAE also noted their bilateral investment treaty signed in 2024.
The joint statement said the two leaders endorsed outcomes of the 13th High-Level Task Force on Investments in September 2025, and the 16th India–UAE Joint Commission Meeting and 5th Strategic Dialogue in December 2025. They welcomed discussions on a potential UAE partnership for the Special Investment Region in Dholera, Gujarat, and outlined proposed strategic infrastructure there, including an international airport, pilot training school, an MRO facility, a greenfield port, a smart township, railway connectivity and energy infrastructure. India also invited UAE sovereign wealth funds to consider the second NIIF Infrastructure Fund, scheduled for launch in 2026.
Energy, nuclear and infrastructure deals
The two sides highlighted energy cooperation and welcomed a 10-year liquefied natural gas supply agreement between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and ADNOC Gas for deliveries of 0.5 million tonnes per year beginning in 2028. Separately, India and the UAE agreed to promote civil nuclear cooperation, citing opportunities created by India’s Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act 2025. The outcomes included plans to develop partnerships in advanced nuclear technologies, including large reactors and small modular reactors, as well as cooperation in advanced reactor systems, plant operations and maintenance, and nuclear safety.
A list of outcomes issued after the talks included a letter of intent on investment cooperation between the Government of Gujarat and the UAE Ministry of Investment for development of Dholera. Another letter of intent was signed between India’s IN-SPACe and the UAE Space Agency for a joint initiative to enable space industry development and commercial collaboration, including launch complexes, manufacturing and technology zones, incubation and acceleration for space startups, training institutes and exchange programs. A separate letter of intent on a strategic defense partnership called for work toward a framework agreement and expanded cooperation, including industrial collaboration, defense innovation and advanced technology, training and doctrine, special operations and interoperability, cyberspace and counterterrorism.
The outcomes also included an agreement in principle for India’s C-DAC and UAE technology company G-42 to collaborate on establishing a supercomputing cluster in India as part of the AI India Mission, with the facility to be available to private and public sectors for research, application development and commercial use. The leaders also agreed to explore cooperation in setting up data centers in India. The joint statement said Sheikh Mohamed expressed support for an AI Impact Summit scheduled to be hosted in India in February 2026, and the two sides agreed to explore establishing “digital embassies” under mutually recognized sovereignty arrangements.
Security, multilateral agenda and people links
The joint statement said both leaders condemned terrorism in all forms, including cross-border terrorism, and agreed to continue cooperation within the framework of the Financial Action Task Force to counter terror financing and strengthen anti-money laundering efforts. The two sides recalled the launch of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor on the margins of the G20 summit in Delhi in September 2023, and exchanged views on regional and global issues, underscoring shared interests in peace, security and stability. The UAE conveyed support for India’s BRICS chairmanship in 2026, and India supported the UAE’s co-hosting of the 2026 UN Water Conference at the end of 2026 focused on accelerating implementation of SDG 6.
Beyond economic and strategic cooperation, the outcomes included steps in finance, culture and youth engagement. The UAE and India noted the establishment of DP World and First Abu Dhabi Bank branches in GIFT City, with FAB’s branch intended to connect Indian corporates and investors to its network across GCC and MENA markets, and DP World set to operate from GIFT City, including for leasing ships for its global operations. India and the UAE also agreed in principle to establish a “House of India” in Abu Dhabi, envisaged as a cultural space including a museum of Indian art, heritage and archaeology, and to promote youth exchanges through reciprocal delegations to deepen academic, research and cultural ties. Sheikh Mohamed thanked Modi for the welcome and hospitality, according to the joint statement.