India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) enjoy strong bonds of friendship and trade ties between the two nations are deep rooted. The bilateral relationship flourished after the accession of H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan as the Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966 and subsequently with the creation of the UAE Federation in 1971. Since then, both sides have made sincere efforts to improve relations in all fields.
The economic and commercial cooperation between the UAE and India has been the cornerstone of thestrong bilateral relationship. Trade and economic engagement between the countries now valued at US $ 60 billion,reflects the evolution of the strategic partnership. Being among the top trading partners for each other, ties are being further strengthened through diversifying non-oil trade.
The bilateral relations have received impetus from time-to-time with exchange of high-level visits from both sides. With Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE in August 2015, February 2018 and August 2019, UAE-India friendly ties have transcended to that of an exemplary multifaceted strategic partnership. The historic visit of the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to the UAE on 16-17 August 2015, after34 years when Indian PM visited the UAE, marked the beginning of a new, comprehensive, and strategic partnership between the two countries.
Later in a reciprocal visit, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces visited India from February 10-12, 2016 on a State visit and subsequently, the Crown Prince visited as the Chief Guest of Republic Day Celebration of India on January 26, 2017.
There is strong political commitment at the highest level on both sides to expand ties in the areas of trade andinvestments, as well as boost cooperation in new areas of energy security, food security, defence and security, IT/ ITeS and space.
The stronger political ties between the UAE and India have led to deeper economic collaboration between both the countries. The bilateral relations have received impetus from time-to-time with exchange of high-level visits from both sides and has matured and transformed into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as both countries continue to explore deeper cooperation in new areas.
In the recent years, the commercial relationship between the UAE and India has matured significantly. With robust flow of investments and an annual bilateral trade of about $60 billion, the UAE is India’s third-largest trade partnerfor the year 2018-19 after China and US. Moreover, UAE is the second largest export destination of India (after US) with an amount of over US$ 30 billion for the year 2018-19. For UAE, India was thesecond largest trading partner during 2018 with US$ 36 billion (non-oil trade).
UAE and Indian companies are actively involved in pursuing investments and projects in both the economies. Major UAE companies including DP World, Etihad, FAB, Emirates NBD, Sharaf Group, Emaar, ADNOC, etc. have been operating in India and have undertaken many mega projects and investments in the country. Similarly, many Indian companies have equally established a strong footprint in the UAE.
