"Eager to meet my brother" says PM Modi as he embarks on UAE visit

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a two-day official visit to the UAE and Qatar from New Delhi on Tuesday morning.

Ahead of his departure, the prime minister took to social media plaform X to post that he is looking forward to meeting with his “brother” the President of UAE with whom he shares a good rapport.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal took to X, emphasising that PM Modi’s first leg of the visit in the UAE will entail engagements with UAE leadership and community members, and the inauguration of BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi.

“Wheels up! PM @narendramodiembarks on a two-country visit to the UAE & Qatar. The first leg of the visit in the UAE entails engagements with UAE leadership & community members, inauguration of @AbuDhabiMandir, and participation as the Guest of Honour at @WorldGovSummit in Dubai,” he stated.

In the UAE, PM Modi will meet with the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, whom he had met in Gujarat during the ‘Vibrant Gujarat 2024’ in January 9. He will also meet with the Vice President, Prime Minister, and Defence Minister of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Prime Minister Modi posted on X, “Eager to meet my brother, @MohamedBinZayed. Over the next two days, I will be visiting UAE and Qatar to attend various programmes, which will deepen India's bilateral relations with these nations.”

In their bilateral meeting PM Modi and UAE President are expected to take up strengthening of ties in a number of economic areas including energy security, energy trade, ports, railways and maritime logistics, digital infrastructure, capital flows and fintech connectivity, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The Prime Minister in his post on X further said that the visit to UAE will be his seventh since assuming office in 2015, “indicating the priority we attach to strong India-UAE friendship.”

This visit also marks the third by the PM to the Gulf country in the past eight months, as per a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs Minister.

Apart from meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, PM Modi will also attend the World Government Summit 2024, where he will deliver a special keynote address. 

“My discussions with Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid on the margins of Summit will focus on strengthening our multifaceted ties with Dubai,” the Prime Minister said in a statement ahead of his departure.

He will also inaugurate the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. "The BAPS temple will be an enduring tribute to the values of harmony, peace and tolerance, which both India and the UAE share," the PM said.

The Prime Minister will address the Indian diaspora in Abu Dhabi at the Zayed Sports City Stadium later today.

The 'Ahlan Modi' or 'Hello Modi' event, organized by the Indian community in Abu Dhabi, has gathered unprecedented attention, with over 65,000 registrations received, reflecting the overwhelming response from the Indian expatriate community.

PM Modi will be in the UAE from February 13-14 after which he will proceed to Doha.

Authorities in Qatar on Monday released eight former Indian Navy personnel who were jailed by a court in the Gulf country.

During his visit, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and other high dignitaries in Qatar," Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said while addressing a special briefing on PM Modi's visit to UAE.