PM Modi meets UAE President Sheikh Mohamed in Abu Dhabi
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ABU DHABI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid a visit to the UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and expressed his personal condolences on the death of former president of the Gulf nation Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
"In a special gesture, UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, accompanied by senior members of the Royal Family, was at Abu Dhabi airport for the interaction with PM," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.
The prime minister arrived in the country for a short visit after attending a G7 Summit in Germany where he was able to hold discussions with several world leaders on the margins of the summit and talk about issues with the aim of furthering global well-being and prosperity.
During his meeting with Sheikh Mohammed, Modi expressed his personal condolences on the death of Sheikh Khalifa, who passed away on May 13 at the age of 73 after a long illness. This is their first meeting since the UAE leader was elected the new president of the Gulf nation last month.Modi expressed his condolences on the death of Sheikh Khalifa and described him as a great statesman and visionary leader who developed India-UAE relations. India had declared a day of mourning following the death of Sheikh Khalifa.
Sheikh Khalifa was the eldest son of UAE's founder President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He served as the President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi from November 3, 2004 till his death.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu last month visited the UAE and offered condolences to the UAE leadership on the demise of Sheikh Khalifa.
The last visit by Modi to the UAE was in August 2019 during which he received the UAE's highest award, 'Order of Zayed' conferred upon him by the UAE President.
The UAE was India's third-largest trading partner for the year 2019-20 after China and US, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The UAE is the third-largest export destination of India (after the US and China) with an amount of nearly USD 16 billion for the year 2020-21.
For the UAE, India is the third-largest trading partner for the year 2020 with an amount of around USD 27.93 billion (non-oil trade).
Indian expatriate community of approximately 3.4 million is the largest ethnic community in UAE constituting roughly about 35 per cent of the country's population.
With PTI inputs
