Abu Dhabi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Saturday on the second leg of his three-nation tour to West Asia and the Gulf.
Modi, who visited Palestine earlier in the day, is scheduled to hold talks with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Commander of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan later on Saturday evening, following which several agreements will be signed.
This is Modi’s second visit to the UAE, home to around three million expatriate Indians, after his visit in 2015, which was the first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years.
While it is one of the largest suppliers of crude oil to India, the UAE is also the 10th largest investor in India in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) having invested an estimated $8 billion.
As of 2016-17, India-UAE trade stood at around $52 billion, making India the largest trading partner of the UAE, while the Gulf nation is the fourth largest trading partner of India.
On Sunday, Modi will meet members of the Indian community here during the course of which he will lay the foundation stone of a temple via video linking.
Thereafter, he will travel to Dubai where he will deliver the keynote address at the Sixth World Government Summit, in which India is the guest of honour country this year.
From Dubai, the Prime Minister will proceed to Oman on the third and last leg of his tour.
—IANS