How PM Modi’s Abu Dhabi visit could mark a shift in India-UAE ties and strengthen Arabian Sea ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest visit to Abu Dhabi marks a major shift in India’s ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), ahead of the grand inauguration of India’s first Hindu temple on Wednesday, an analyst believes. Modi is on a two-day visit to the UAE, his seventh since 2015 and third in the past eight months.

The chairman of the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation (ORF) said India has in the past ignored the fact that the Arabian Sea has long been a fertile bridge for the exchange of ideas, stories, commerce and culture. “Narendra Modi, more than any Indian prime minister before him, recognizes the injustice of this neglect,” writes Samir Saran in an article first published in The Times of India road. hindustan times newspaper.

The Indian think tank chief said Modi’s recent visit marked a “change in the relationship” and a growing awareness of each other’s importance. “India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have a special and close relationship. It reflects a new reality that India’s bond with the UAE is no longer voluntary but mandatory, not an option but a Prime Minister Modi and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have carried out systemic reforms: we are now indispensable to each other,” he added.

In his comments, Saran said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to inaugurate the first Hindu temple in the UAE is a model for Abu Dhabi to promote a more diverse society. “Prime Minister Modi and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed are laying the foundations for a thriving Arabian Sea community. They are restoring the ocean to its legendary status in antiquity, renewing it and bringing it into the 21st century,” he added . Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday praised India and the United Arab Emirates as “progressive partners”, saying that the relationship between the two strategic partners is a model for the world and they are writing a new history in the third decade of the 21st century.

“Our partnership continues to strengthen in various fields and reaches new heights. India hopes that our partnership will strengthen day by day,” he said. “India and the UAE are partners for progress. Our relationship is one of talent, innovation and culture,” Modi said while addressing the Indian community at the ‘Ahlan Modi’ (Hello Modi in Arabic) event. Prime Minister Modi addressed the Indian community in the UAE at the event, which attracted Indian expatriates from across the seven emirates, including Indians from all communities.

The audience also included Emiratis. When the Prime Minister entered the arena at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, he received a warm welcome from the 40,000 spectators. In his address, the Prime Minister also shared his views on the contribution of the Indian diaspora in further strengthening bilateral ties between India and the UAE. The Prime Minister thanked the rulers and government of the UAE for their kindness and care towards the Indian community. He also shared his vision for the progress made by the country in the past 10 years and expressed confidence that India will become the third largest economy by 2030 and a developed country (Viksit Bharat) by 2047.