United Arab Emirates
India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) established diplomatic relations in 1972. UAE opened its Embassy in India in 1972 while Indian Embassy in UAE was opened in 1973. The traditionally strong bilateral relations enjoyed by India-UAE have received impetus with exchange of high-level bilateral visits from time to time.
Year 2015 marked the beginning of a new Comprehensive and Strategic partnership between the two countries. Since 2014, Prime Minister visited the UAE five times in 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022 and July 2023, while the current President of UAE visited India in 2016, 2017 and Sept 2023. UAE has been invited as a Guest Country to the G-20 Summit held under India’s Presidency this year. UAE has been one of the most active participating countries to the G20-2023 as there have been visits of UAE’s President, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Economy, Education, Advance Technology, Energy, Foreign Trade, Climate Change, etc for different meetings of G20. During the G20 Leaders’ Summit, UAE became part of two important initiatives – Global Biofuel Alliance and India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
Development Cooperation (Grants/ LoCs/ Assistance)
- India and the UAE are currently part of several plurilateral platforms such as I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA) and UFI (UAE-France-India) Trilateral. During I2U2 Leaders Summit in July 2022, an investment of worth USD 2 billion in developing integrated food corridors in India by the UAE was announced.
- The bilateral trade between India and UAE has reached to record time high at USD 84.5 billion in FY 2022-23. UAE has emerged a reliable energy partner of India.
- Growing India-UAE economic and commercial relations contribute to the stability and strength of a rapidly diversifying and deepening bilateral relationship between the two countries.
- On 5 Oct 2023, two MoUs were signed- MoU on the cooperation in the field of Industries & Advanced Technologies; (ii) Agreement between National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and its UAE counterpart for developing a Domestic Card Stack in UAE.
- During Hon’ble Prime Minister’s visit to UAE on 15 July 2023, three MoUs were signed (i) MoU between RBI and the Central Bank of UAE for bilateral trade settlement in local currencies;
- MoU between RBI and Central Bank of the UAE on interlinking of the payment and messaging systems; and MoU to establish IIT Delhi campus Abu Dhabi.
- On 18 Feb 2022, Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed between India and UAE.
- On 13 Jan 2023, an MoU on Cooperation in the field of Green Hydrogen Developments and Investments was signed.
- On 25 June 2018, Memorandum of Understanding in the field of diplomatic training between the Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA) and the Foreign Service Institute(FSI) of India.
- On 4 Dec 2018, MoU for Development Cooperation in Africa between Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of the UAE and Ministry of External Affairs of India.
- On 3 Sept 2015, MoU on cooperation in Higher Education & Scientific Research was signed.
- On 24 Oct 2017, Framework Agreement on the establishment of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
