Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates from February 13-15. It would be the prime minister's seventh visit to the UAE since 2015, and the third in the last eight months, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday, announcing the trip. PM Modi's UAE schedule During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral meetings with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The two leaders will discuss ways to further deepen, expand and strengthen the strategic partnership between the countries and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. Modi will also meet Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. PM Modi will participate in the World Government Summit 2024 to be held in Dubai as the Guest of Honour and deliver a special keynote address at the Summit. Modi will also inaugurate the BAPS Mandir, the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, and will address the Indian community in the UAE at an event in Zayed Sports city in Abu Dhabi. Agenda of PM Modi's UAE visit The visit is aimed at further strengthening and expanding the bilateral ties between India and the UAE. The two countries enjoy warm, close and multi-faceted relations underpinned by strong political, cultural and economic linkages, as per the MEA statement. Following the visit of Modi to UAE in August 2015, the bilateral relations between the two countries were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Both the countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in February 2022 and a Local Currency Settlement (LCS) System in July 2023 to promote the use of Indian Rupee and AED for cross-border transactions. The two countries are among each other’s top trading partners with a bilateral trade of about $85 billion in 2022-23. The UAE is also among the top four investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments in 2022-23. About 3.5 million Indian community forms the largest expatriate group in UAE. Their contribution in the development of their host country has been an important factor in the strong bilateral relationship.
