"Short, but extremely substantive visit": Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on UAE President's New Delhi visit

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri noted that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed concluded a short but substantive visit to New Delhi, including talks with PM Modi and exchange of documents. Modi received him at the airport. The visit comes amid West Asia tensions and reflects strong India-UAE ties.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday noted that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has concluded a "short, but extremely substantive" official visit to the national capital, during which he was personally received at the airport by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held discussions with the Indian side. Briefing the media here, Misri said, "The President of the UAE has just concluded an official visit to New Delhi. This has been a short, but extremely substantive visit. He was received at the airport personally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is a special gesture that reflects the extremely warm and close relationship that the two leaders share."

Misri added that after the airport reception, the two leaders travelled together to the Prime Minister's residence, where talks were held first in a restricted format and then in an expanded format involving delegation members. "They then travel together from the airport to the Prime Minister's residence, where discussions were held, both in the restricted format and then expanded format, where delegation members engaged with each other," he said.

He further said that the engagement also included the exchange of documents in the presence of the two leaders. "A number of documents were also exchanged in the presence of the leaders," Misri added.

Highlighting the significance of the visit, Misri said the importance could also be assessed from the high-level composition of the UAE delegation. "The importance of this visit can be understood by the composition of the delegation accompanying the president of the UAE. It comprised members of the royal families of both Abu Dhabi as well as the way Dubai, and several senior ministers and officials," he said.

The visit, held as per the schedule released by the Ministry of External Affairs, saw Sheikh Mohamed spending less than two hours in the national capital, with wide-ranging discussions taking place with Prime Minister Modi. The UAE President's visit came amid a volatile regional environment, including a sharp decline in Iran-US ties, continuing tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over Yemen, and an unsettled political situation in Gaza.

This marked Sheikh Mohamed's third official visit to India since assuming office as UAE President and his fifth visit to the country over the past decade. India and the UAE have witnessed a major rise in bilateral trade and people-to-people ties since the two sides signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in 2022. (ANI)

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