UAE President Pay a Brief but Crucial Visit to India, was Received Personally by Modi at the Airport
NEW DELHI, Jan 19: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in New Delhi for a brief, yet crucial visit, on Monday and was received at the airport by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared visuals of the gesture, where both leaders were seen hugging each other.
Mr Modi in a post on X called it a visit to the airport “to welcome my brother.”
“Went to the airport to welcome my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. His visit illustrates the importance he attaches to a strong India-UAE friendship. Looking forward to our discussions,” PM Modi said in the post.
The two leaders travelled together in the same car from the airport. The West Asian leader’s visit to India comes amid heightened tensions in West Asia including strained Iran-US relations, continued instability in Gaza, and the unresolved Yemen conflict involving Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
In a notable gesture, PM Modi personally received UAE President at the airport and the two leaders also shared a ride as they left from the airport.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, in a press briefing, said the UAE leader’s visit to India was short, but extremely substantive. The UAE President’s visit to New Delhi lasted for only about three hours. “This was a short but extremely substantive visit. His Highness was received at the airport personally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a special gesture that is characteristic of the extremely warm and close relationship the two leaders share,” Misri told the briefing.
The Ministry of External Affairs said the visit is being held at the invitation of PM Modi and builds on the strong momentum created through recent high-level engagements. These included the visit of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in September 2024, and the visit of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE and Crown Prince of Dubai, in April 2025.
The UAE president’s visit also coincides with major developments in West Asia, with US President Trump preparing to launch Phase 2 of the Gaza Peace Plan, which aims to establish a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
This is Sheikh Mohamed’s third official visit to India since assuming office as the UAE president, and his fifth visit to the country in the past decade, underlining the continuity of high-level engagement between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi.
PM Modi later welcomed Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his family at his official residence at Lok Kalyan Marg in the national capital. Misri said the two leaders held discussions in both restricted and expanded formats, with delegation members engaging with each other. “A number of documents were also exchanged in the presence of the leaders. The importance of this visit can be gauged by the composition of the delegation accompanying the UAE President,” he added.
Mr Modi also presented traditional Indian gifts to the UAE President and his family. The prime minister gifted the UAE President a Royal Carved Wooden Jhula (swing), a Pashmina Shawl in an ornate silver box, and Kashmiri Saffron.
The hand-carved wooden swing features intricate floral and traditional motifs, reflecting Gujarat’s rich artisanal heritage. In Gujarati culture, the jhula symbolises togetherness, dialogue and bonds across generations.
He also gifted him a Pashmina Shawl in an ornate silver box. The Pashmina shawl comes from Kashmir and is made by hand from very fine wool, making it soft, light and warm.
(Manas Dasgupta)
