The UAE and India have a rich history of bilateral engagement dating back to January 1975 when Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Founding Father, visited India and signed a Cultural Agreement with President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. This agreement laid the groundwork for cultural exchange between the two nations.
The partnership was further strengthened in April 1992 with an agreement to avoid double taxation. A pivotal moment came in January 2017 when President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, along with 13 other agreements in various fields.
Prime Minister Modi’s visits to the UAE, starting in August 2015 and continuing through 2024, have further solidified the relationship. On February 18, 2022, the launch of a Joint Vision Statement and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) marked a new phase, focusing on expanding economic, cultural, and technological cooperation. The CEPA aims to boost bilateral non-oil trade to $100 billion by 2030.
As of 2024, the UAE and India have conducted 14 rounds of their Joint Committee and held three Strategic Dialogue sessions, with the latest in September 2022. The two countries have signed over 96 bilateral agreements, reflecting their robust diplomatic and economic ties.
The UAE and India support each other on global issues like climate change and sustainable development, and their economic cooperation spans various sectors, including renewable energy, technology, and tourism. The CEPA is the UAE's first bilateral agreement under its CEPA programme, and trade between the two countries grew from $51.4 billion in 2022 to $53.4 billion in 2023.
UAE investments in India total approximately $16.2 billion, while Indian investments in the UAE reach $7.76 billion. The Indian community is the largest foreign group in the UAE, contributing significantly to the local economy. Cultural ties are also strong, highlighted by the Zayed-Gandhi Digital Museum inaugurated in March 2019 in Abu Dhabi.
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