Meets PM Modi and Rajnath, discusses trade and defence.
STC NEWS MONITORING DESK
NEW DELHI, APRIL 08 (STC): His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE is on his first official visit to India from 8 – 9 April 2025. He was received on his arrival in New Delhi by Suresh Gopi, Minister of State for Tourism and Petroleum and Natural Gas, and was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour. He is accompanied by several Ministers, senior government officials and business leaders.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a working lunch for His Highness the Crown Prince at his residence in Lok Kalyan Marg. PM conveyed his warm regards to the President of UAE His Highness Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. PM also conveyed his good wishes to the new-born daughter of the Crown Prince Hind bint Hamdan. Crown Prince presented to Prime Minister a replica of his grandfather His Highness Sheikh Rashid’s bisht (traditional embroidered cloak worn over the Qandura by Arab men) symbolising the historic and generational political friendship between the two countries. Both leaders also discussed avenues to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UAE, and strong cultural and people-to-people ties between India and Dubai.
His Highness the Crown Prince also held a meeting with Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh. They discussed ways to further strengthen the strategic defence and security partnership between the two countries in line with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
His Highness the Crown Prince held a meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar. EAM highlighted the tremendous deepening and widening of the relationship across sectors between the two countries in recent years. His Highness the Crown Prince presented an original newspaper coverage of the successful effort of his father, the Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in saving passengers on board Indian Airlines Flight 421 in August 1984.
His Highness the Crown Prince also met Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal during the high-level business meeting in Mumbai. They discussed the contribution of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in the rapid growth of bilateral trade. Shri Goyal welcomed the signing of milestone MoUs and announcements made at the business event and expressed hope that these will further strengthen bilateral economic engagement and take it to unprecedented heights. In particular, the progress on the Virtual Trade Corridor (VTC), and its contribution in facilitating bilateral trade as well as, as a building block of IMEEC, was acknowledged.
The following key announcements were made during the visit, which highlights the commitment of the leadership from both sides to strengthen and expand the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership:
• Setting up of the campus of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in Dubai and commencement of the first MBA program in September 2025.
• Setting up of the first overseas campus of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade at the India Pavilion in Expo City Dubai.
• Commencement of construction work of Bharat Mart and the launch of a 3-D rendering of the Bharat Mart complex.
• Grant of land for UAE-India Friendship Hospital in Dubai
• Development of ship-repair clusters at Kochi and Vadinar
• Opening of an India Office of Dubai Chamber of Commerce.
The establishment of the first ever overseas campus of the IIM-Ahmedabad and IIFT in Dubai further strengthens the educational cooperation between the two countries and positions Dubai and the UAE as a key regional and global destination for eminent Indian educational institutions. This follows the inauguration of the first ever campus of the IIT in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi last year. These initiatives will benefit the 4.3 million strong Indian diaspora living in the UAE and around 9 million Indian diaspora in the Gulf Region.
The announcements regarding Bharat Mart and Virtual Trade Corridor (VTC) and the MAITRI interface (to support VTC) reaffirms the importance India attaches to its trade and commercial relationship with UAE, which has grown manifold in recent years following the entry into force of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Work on VTC also re-affirms India’s commitment to IMEEC. Bilateral trade, which is expected to cross US$ 97 billion, will receive further impetus through these initiatives and will help achieve the non-oil trade target of US$ 100 billion.
India has been a prominent overseas destination for quality healthcare seekers from the UAE. Generations of Emiratis, including those belonging to the ruling families, have benefited from India’s health and wellness ecosystem. As a reciprocal gesture towards this contribution, the Dubai government has announced the allocation of a plot of land for the establishment of a 100-bed “India-UAE Friendship Hospital” in Dubai focussed on affordable healthcare to the blue-collar Indian diaspora in the UAE. It is also a recognition of the contribution of millions of Indians for the development and growth of Dubai.
Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) and Drydocks World (DDW), a DP World Company, signed an MOU to enable development of ship repair clusters, at Kochi, Kerala and Vadinar, Gujarat synergising their mutual strengths. This is expected to bring global best practices to the ship repair ecosystem in the country and add significant capacities. The MOU also provides for cooperation in potential offshore fabrication opportunities engaging other entities like Major Ports.
The setting up of India Office of Dubai Chamber of Commerce is a testament to the strong investment partnership between the two countries. Indian companies are one of the top investors in Dubai’s tourism, hospitality, healthcare, retail, education and entertainment sectors. They continue to top the list of new non-UAE companies registered with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce every year and account for 30-40% of companies registered in Dubai, including the Free Zones. (STC. SOURCE: mea.gov.in)