ABU DHABI: Prime Minister Modi held bilateral talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan shortly after arriving in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday the place he was given a rousing welcome. The two sides additionally exchanged a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) of their presence. PM Modi additionally thanked the UAE President for his assist to the development of the BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi. “Brother, firstly, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for your warm welcome. We have met five times in the last seven months, which is very rare. I have also got the opportunity to come here seven times… the way we have progressed in every field, there is a joint partnership between India and UAE in every field,” mentioned PM Modi throughout his assembly with the UAE President.
#WATCH | Abu Dhabi: During his assembly with UAE President, PM Narendra Modi says, “The construction of BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) temple here would not have been possible without your support…”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the… pic.twitter.com/RbKFHQ1cyh
— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2024
“The construction of BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) temple here would not have been possible without your support…” the PM advised the UAE President throughout his assembly with the latter. Importantly, PM Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan additionally launched the UPI RuPay card service in Abu Dhabi.
#WATCH | PM Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan introduce UPI RuPay card service in Abu Dhabi. pic.twitter.com/uvIY0o1kIy
— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2024
Upon his arrival right here, PM Modi was welcomed by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The two leaders shook fingers and hugged one another. Prime Minister Modi additionally acquired a Guard of Honour.
PM Modi additionally took to X to precise his gratitude to the UAE President for coming to the airport to personally obtain him. “I am very grateful to my brother, His Highness UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for taking the time to receive me at Abu Dhabi Airport,” Prime Minister Modi posted on X. “I look forward to a fruitful visit that will strengthen the friendship between India and the UAE,” he mentioned.
أنا ممتن للغاية لأخي صاحب السمو @MohamedBinZayed، على الوقت الذي أمضيه في استقبالي في مطار أبو ظبي.
وإنني أتطلع إلى زيارة مثمرة من شأنها تعزيز الصداقة بين الهند والإمارات العربية المتحدة. pic.twitter.com/VltQVXgdxG
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 13, 2024
PM Modi is about to deal with the Indian diaspora on the “Ahlan Modi” occasion. He may also inaugurate the BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. The Indian diaspora within the UAE has been eagerly ready for PM Modi, because the variety of attendees surpassed 65,000 for the ‘Ahlan Modi’ occasion.
The Indian expatriate neighborhood of roughly 3.5 million is the biggest ethnic neighborhood within the UAE, constituting roughly 35 per cent of the nation’s inhabitants. President of the Indian People Forum and chief of the Ahlan Modi initiative, Jitendra Vaidya, expressed his happiness and anticipation for the ground-breaking occasion.
“Our gates are yet to open, but people are already standing at each gate of this stadium. I can say this with a guarantee that whenever people will remember a public event of PM Modi outside the country, ‘Ahlan Modi’ will be remembered as a landmark event,” he mentioned. He additional added that the programmes will begin right here round midday (native time), including, “Over 800 participants will perform here today. When we were planning the ‘Ahlan Modi’ event, we thought of bringing celebrities here but when PM Modi got to know this he said, your people are celebrities.”
Ved Prakash Gupta, a member of the Indian diaspora and a volunteer on the ‘Ahlan Modi’ occasion, emphasised that this can be a main milestone in India-UAE relations. “…This is a major milestone in India-UAE relations…We are a team of 1500 people who are working in different departments…It rained heavily yesterday but the weather is clear today…Everyone is eagerly waiting for PM Modi…It is a proud moment for Indians…,” he mentioned.
Ahead of his departure, the Prime Minister took to social media platform X to submit that he’s trying ahead to assembly together with his “brother,” the President of UAE, with whom he shares an excellent rapport. This go to additionally marks the third by the PM to the Gulf nation previously eight months, as per an announcement by the Ministry of External Affairs Minister.
“My discussions with Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid on the margins of Summit will focus on strengthening our multifaceted ties with Dubai,” the Prime Minister mentioned in an announcement forward of his departure. “The BAPS temple will be an enduring tribute to the values of harmony, peace and tolerance, which both India and the UAE share,” the PM mentioned.
The ‘Ahlan Modi’ or ‘Hello Modi’ occasion, organised by the Indian neighborhood in Abu Dhabi, has gathered unprecedented consideration, with over 65,000 registrations acquired, reflecting the overwhelming response from the Indian expatriate neighborhood. PM Modi might be within the UAE from February 13-14, after which he’ll proceed to Doha.
