New Delhi: Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will pay an official visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 9-10, announced the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday. This would be his first visit to India as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan will be accompanied by several Ministers from the UAE government and a business delegation. He will meet PM Modi and hold discussions on a wide range of areas of bilateral cooperation on Monday (September 9), after which he will call on President Droupadi Murmu and visit Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.
On the second day of his visit, he will visit Mumbai to participate in a Business Forum, in which business leaders from both countries will participate. "The Crown Prince’s visit will further reinforce strong India-UAE bilateral relations and open avenues for partnership in new and emerging areas," said the MEA.
Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan will be accompanied by several Ministers from the UAE government and a business delegation. He will meet PM Modi and hold discussions on a wide range of areas of bilateral cooperation on Monday (September 9), after which he will call on President Droupadi Murmu and visit Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.
On the second day of his visit, he will visit Mumbai to participate in a Business Forum, in which business leaders from both countries will participate. "The Crown Prince’s visit will further reinforce strong India-UAE bilateral relations and open avenues for partnership in new and emerging areas," said the MEA. The UAE and India are among each other's top trading partners with a bilateral trade of about $85 billion in 2022-23.
PM Modi's visit to UAE
Prime Minister Modi had embarked on a visit to Abu Dhabi on February 14, where he inaugurated Abu Dhabi's first Hindu stone temple amid devotional chants and in the presence of spiritual leaders of the Swaminarayan sect. The Indian PM also addressed the Indian community members at the ‘Ahlan Modi’ event (Hello Modi in Arabic) at the Zayed Sports City Stadium and was awarded the UAE's highest civilian award - the Order of Zayed.
"You have created a new history in Abu Dhabi. You have come from all corners of the UAE, and different states of India, but the hearts of everyone are connected," he said amid slogans of ‘Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi,’ ‘We Love Modi,’ ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai,’ and even ‘Jai Shree Ram’.
The BAPS temple is the first stone Hindu mandir in Abu Dhabi which has been built using ancient architectural methods clubbed with scientific techniques. The grand temple has been built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha on a 27-acre site in Abu Mreikhah, near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway, at a cost of around Rs 700 crore.
"This temple will be a symbol of unity and harmony... The role of the UAE government in the construction of the temple is commendable...," PM Modi said. ""This will also increase the number of people coming to UAE and people-to-people connections will also increase. On behalf of the entire India and millions of Indians living around the world, I express my heartfelt gratitude to President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the UAE Government," he said.
