{"id":73813,"date":"2026-05-16T21:02:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T15:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=73813"},"modified":"2026-05-16T21:03:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T15:33:54","slug":"pm-uae-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/16-05-2026\/pm-uae-visit","title":{"rendered":"Prime Minister\u2019s Visit to the UAE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/IR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PM Modi made a landmark diplomatic stopover in UAE, first stop in his five-nation trip to the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Outcomes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>MoU on Strategic Collaboration between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Potential ADNOC crude oil storage in India\u2019s Strategic Petroleum Reserves upto 30 million barrels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Potential storage of crude oil in Fujairah, UAE, to form part of the Indian strategic petroleum reserve.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Potential collaboration in Liquid Natural Gas and Liquid Petroleum Gas storage facilities in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strategic Collaboration Agreement between Indian Oil Limited (IOCL) Company and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) on supplies of Liquified Petroleum gas (LPG).<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Explore potential opportunities in the sale and purchase of LPG, including long term supply of LPG, and entry into a long-term LPG sale and purchase agreement between ADNOC Gas Limited and IOCL.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The collaboration will strengthen India\u2019s long-term LPG supply security.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Framework for the Strategic Defence Partnership:\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e2edf4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-123.png\" alt=\"prime minister\u2019s visit to the uae\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-73814\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e2edf4; width:483px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-123.png 560w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-123-300x222.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>MoU between Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and Drydocks World (DDW) on setting up a Ship Repair Cluster at Vadinar, Gujarat.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cooperation includes offshore fabrication, under the Maritime Development Fund Scheme launched by the Government of India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>MoU between Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Drydocks World (DDW) and Centre of Excellence in Maritime &amp; Shipbuilding (CEMS) <strong>on Skill Development in Ship Repair.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Term Sheet for setting up 8 Exaflop Super Computing Clusters in partnership between CDAC, India and G-42, UAE.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pave the way for collaboration between CDAC and G-42 to set up a super computing cluster as part of AI Mission India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Investment from UAE to India: <\/strong>Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and National Infrastructure &amp; Investment Fund (NIIF) of India to explore investments upto US$ 1 bn in India\u2019s infrastructure sector.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bilateral Ties Between India and UAE<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Political: <\/strong>India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) established diplomatic relations in 1972.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Relationships were upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2017.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Trade and Investment Ties:<\/strong> Bilateral merchandise trade between the two countries crossed US$100 billion for the first time, reaching US$101.25 billion in FY 2025-26.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Both sides have committed to<strong> doubling bilateral trade to US$200 billion by 2032.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The two nations signed the Bilateral Investment Treaty in <strong>2024<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From 2000 to 2025, the cumulative FDI from the UAE into India amounted to US$25.19 billion, making <strong>UAE the seventh-largest overseas investor in India.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Energy Trade:<\/strong> In FY 2024-25, the UAE stood as the<strong> fourth largest source<\/strong> of crude oil, third largest source of LNG, largest supplier of LPG and second largest export destination for India\u2019s finished petroleum products.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Currently, the UAE is the only country participating in India\u2019s Strategic Petroleum Reserve programme<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Defence cooperation:<\/strong> It\u00a0 is steered through a Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) at the Ministry level, with the signing of Agreement on Defence Cooperation in 2003, which came into effect in 2004.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Extradition and mutual legal assistance treaties to combat transnational crime.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Space Cooperation: <\/strong>\u00a0Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the UAE Space Agency signed an MoU regarding cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes in 2016.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indian Community:<\/strong> Indian expatriate community of approximately 3.5 million is the largest ethnic community in UAE constituting roughly about 35% of the country\u2019s population.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Multilateral Cooperation: <\/strong>India and the UAE are currently part of several plurilateral platforms such as India-Middle East EU Economic Corridor (IMEC),\u00a0 I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA) and UFI (UAE-France-India) Trilateral, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Trade Imbalances: <\/strong>India has a trade deficit with the UAE, primarily due to high oil imports from the UAE, which makes the economic relationship uneven despite growing non-oil trade.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Geopolitical Tensions in the Region:<\/strong> Political instability in the Middle East and the Gulf region affect bilateral relations, especially with India\u2019s strategic interests in the region.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Labor and Migration Issues: <\/strong>India is one of the largest sources of migrant labor in the UAE, and issues related to the welfare and rights of Indian workers have been a point of concern.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Foreign Policy of UAE: <\/strong>India\u2019s relations with countries like Iran and Pakistan sometimes complicate its relations with the UAE, which maintains different strategic priorities in the region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The relationship between India and the UAE has <strong>transformed from traditional trade linkages<\/strong> into <strong>a wide-ranging strategic partnership.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Today, the partnership spans energy security, trade, technology, investment, and defence cooperation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The outcomes of the Prime Minister\u2019s 2026 visit have f<strong>urther strengthened bilateral ties.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As both countries align their economic and geopolitical priorities, the partnership is expected to <strong>play a larger role in regional stability, economic growth, and technological advancement.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressNoteDetails.aspx?id=158628&amp;NoteId=158628&amp;ModuleId=3&amp;reg=3&amp;lang=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> PM Modi made a landmark diplomatic stopover in UAE, first stop in his five-nation trip to the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Key Outcomes <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> MoU on Strategic Collaboration between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Potential ADNOC crude oil storage in India\u2019s Strategic Petroleum Reserves upto 30 million barrels. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Potential storage of crude oil in Fujairah, UAE, to form part of the Indian strategic petroleum reserve. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/16-05-2026\/pm-uae-visit \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73813"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73817,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73813\/revisions\/73817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}