Abu Dhabi

Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Arab Emirates on Friday yielded a series of major agreements and investment commitments spanning defence, energy, maritime infrastructure and banking, marking a significant expansion of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

During delegation-level talks in Abu Dhabi with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, India and the UAE signed an agreement establishing a framework for a Strategic Defence Partnership, aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in security, defence collaboration and regional stability.

In the energy sector, both sides signed a memorandum of understanding on strategic petroleum reserves, along with an agreement on the supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), strengthening India’s long-term energy security amid ongoing volatility in global oil markets.

The two countries also signed an MoU in the maritime sector for setting up a ship repair cluster at Vadinar, expected to boost India’s ship maintenance and logistics capabilities on the western coast.

In one of the biggest outcomes of the visit, investments worth USD 5 billion were announced for Indian infrastructure projects, as well as investments in RBL Bank and Samman Capital, signalling growing investor confidence in India’s financial and infrastructure sectors.

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Modi, who was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour on arrival, is on a five-nation tour that will next take him to the Netherlands, followed by Sweden, Norway and Italy, as India seeks to deepen strategic cooperation across energy, technology, innovation and green growth.