India – UAE Signed 8 MOUs including a Bilateral Investment Treaty
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 13: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday held wide-ranging bilateral talks, witnessing the exchange of eight agreements, including a Bilateral Investment Treaty which could play a key role in promoting investments in both countries.
On his arrival at the airport, Mr Modi was received by Mohamed bin Zayed and he was later given a guard of honour. “Immensely grateful to my brother, HH @MohamedBinZayed for taking the time to receive me at Abu Dhabi airport,” Mr Modi posted on X.
Modi thanked the UAE President for supporting the construction of Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple. During the meeting, Modi highlighted the mutual partnership between India and UAE in every sector at present. “As you said, I feel that whenever I have come here, I have always felt that I have come to my home and family,” Modi said.
Addressing the Indian community members in the evening at ‘Ahlan Modi’ (Hello Modi in Arabic) event at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Prime Minster applauded the growing synergy between India and United Arab Emirates.
“This is the time to hail the friendship between India and the UAE. In this historic stadium, every heartbeat echoes the same sentiment- Long live Bharat-UAE friendship,” Mr Modi said at the event that began with national anthems of the two countries. He spoke in Tamil, Telegu, Kannada and Malyalam – the four languages of southern India, which sends maximum people to the United Arab Emirates – at his outreach event ‘Ahlan Modi’ in Abu Dhabi.
Mr Modi said the people from different states of India are present but their hearts are connected. In this historic stadium, every heartbeat is saying “Bharat-UAE Dosti Zindabad.” “I am here to meet my family. I am here to bring you the smell of the soil you were born. I am here with a message from your 140 crore siblings. And the message is that India is proud of you. Bharat is proud of you.”
He recalled his 2015 visit to Abu Dhabi and said, “In 2015, when I visited the UAE, the world of diplomacy was new to me. The Crown Prince and President came to pick me up at the airport. The warmth and glitter in the eyes of people is something I can’t forget. The first visit made me feel like I’ve come to the house of a person whom I’m close to. Brother Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed even came today to receive me at the airport, the oneness and warmth were the same and this makes him unique. I’m very honoured to welcome him 4 times in India.”
He said the ties between the two countries were getting stronger by the day. “During Covid, I said we are bringing Indians back. He said don’t worry, we have set up infrastructure for vaccines and medical care for them and don’t worry about them. Lakhs of people welcomed UAE’s President during his trip to Gujarat for the way he has taken care of Indian diaspora,” he said.
“I thank you for this grand welcome of me and my team. As you said, I feel that whenever I have come here, I have always felt that I have come to my home and family,” Mr Modi said in his opening remarks at the bilateral meeting with the UAE President. “We have met five times in the last seven months. Today, there is a mutual partnership between India and UAE in every sector,” he said.
Mr Modi who will inaugurate on Wednesday the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) temple, the first Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi, said: “The BAPS temple in the UAE is an example of your affinity for India.” He said the construction of the BAPS temple in Abu Dhabi would not be possible without the support from the UAE’s leadership.
Mr Modi and Al Nahyan, witnessed the exchange of eight agreements, including a Bilateral Investment Treaty, a MoU on cooperation in the field of electrical interconnection and trade, and an Intergovernmental Framework Agreement between the two countries on the India-Middle East Economic Corridor.
The Bilateral Investment Treaty could play a significant role in the promotion of investments in both countries. The countries welcomes the deepening of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across sectors, including trade and investment, digital infrastructure, fintech, energy, infrastructure, culture and people-to-people ties. Discussions also covered regional and global issues, a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The two leaders also launched the RuPay card service in Abu Dhabi. “We are embarking on a new FinTech era with the launch of my UPI RuPay card and your Jaywan card,” Mr Modi said. The MEA statement said the two countries also exchanged multiple bilateral agreements, with one of them related to interlinking of the instant payment platforms – UPI (India) and AANI (UAE). This would lead to better facilitation of cross-border transactions between the countries.
