UAE, India Expand Economic and Security Partnership

By: Hamdan Jumma

ABU DHABI, May 15 (Horn Diplomat) – UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks in Abu Dhabi on Friday focused on expanding economic and strategic cooperation while reviewing growing regional security challenges, including tensions affecting maritime trade routes and energy supplies.

The meeting took place during Modi’s official visit to the United Arab Emirates, where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ties under the UAE-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), according to the UAE state news agency WAM.

The two sides discussed expanding cooperation across sectors including trade, investment, energy, food security, space, advanced technology and artificial intelligence, as the Gulf nation and India continue deepening one of the region’s fastest-growing economic partnerships.

1 of 4

Sheikh Mohamed and Modi also exchanged views on developments in the Middle East and their implications for regional and international stability, particularly the impact on maritime security, global trade routes and energy markets.

Modi reiterated India’s condemnation of what the UAE described as Iranian terrorist attacks targeting civilians and infrastructure in the Emirates, saying such actions violate international law and state sovereignty, WAM reported.

The UAE has intensified diplomatic outreach in recent months amid heightened regional tensions affecting shipping lanes across the Gulf, the Red Sea and the wider Indian Ocean corridor, routes considered vital to global energy flows and international commerce.

The meeting was attended by senior Emirati officials, including Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, alongside ministers and officials from both countries.

India and the UAE have significantly expanded bilateral trade and strategic cooperation in recent years, with both governments positioning the partnership as a key pillar of economic connectivity linking the Gulf, South Asia and broader international markets.

(Reporting by Horn Diplomat Desk; Editing by Desk)