New Delhi: EAM Jaishankar meets Crown Prince of Dubai

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar extended a warm welcome to UAE Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Pic/@DrSJaishankar

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar extended a warm welcome to UAE Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum during his official visit to India on Tuesday.

In a post on X, Jaishankar expressed appreciation for the Crown Prince's positive sentiments and highlighted the strong and dynamic partnership between India and the UAE, marked by wide-ranging cooperation.

The EAM wrote on X, "Delighted to welcome Crown Prince of Dubai and DPM & Minister of Defence of UAE HH @HamdanMohammed at the start of his first official visit to India. Value his positive sentiments for our wide-ranging cooperation and vibrant ties."

According to ANI, Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - Crown Prince of Dubai and the UAE's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence - has arrived in India for his first official visit as Crown Prince. The two-day visit, from April 8 to 9, 2025, comes at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Crown Prince was welcomed with a ceremonial guard of honour upon his arrival and received by the Union Minister of State for Tourism and Petroleum & Natural Gas, Suresh Gopi.

Accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising senior ministers, top officials, and leading business figures, the visit highlights the deepening strategic partnership and growing economic and diplomatic engagement between India and the UAE, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Following engagements in the capital, he will visit Mumbai and participate in a business roundtable involving top Indian and Emirati business leaders.

As per ANI, the roundtable will explore opportunities for increased trade and investment in both traditional sectors, such as infrastructure and energy, as well as emerging fields like fintech, innovation, and sustainability.

The interaction is aimed at further accelerating economic cooperation and shaping a forward-looking commercial partnership between the two nations.

Dubai has long served as a vital hub in India's commercial and cultural exchanges with the UAE. The strong people-to-people ties are underpinned by the large Indian diaspora in the Emirates - estimated at 4.3 million - with a significant majority residing in Dubai. The visit is expected to add new momentum to the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and further enhance India's institutional and grassroot-level ties with Dubai.

Formal diplomatic relations between India and the UAE were established in 1972. Since Prime Minister Modi's landmark visit in 2015, the first by an Indian PM in over three decades, bilateral engagement has grown significantly.

The UAE hosts India's largest overseas community, whose contributions are deeply respected and continue to strengthen the enduring bond between the two nations.

(With ANI inputs)