India and the United Arab Emirates deepened their strategic partnership on Friday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and signed a series of agreements covering energy, defence, investment, maritime cooperation and artificial intelligence.
Among the key agreements, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) will be able to potentially increase its crude oil storage capacity in India to 30 million barrels. Another memorandum of understanding is expected to pave the way for a long-term LPG sale and purchase agreement between the two countries.
India and the UAE also signed a framework agreement for strategic defence cooperation, focusing on defence industrial collaboration, advanced technology, innovation, joint training and military exercises.
According to the Indian government’s readout of the meeting, Modi also reiterated India’s support for safe and uninterrupted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as critical for regional stability as well as global energy and food security.
Visit Comes Amid Regional Tensions
Modi’s visit took place while BRICS foreign ministers were meeting amid efforts to bridge differences between the UAE and Iran over the escalating West Asia conflict.
The BRICS meeting reportedly ended without a joint statement after disagreements persisted, with Iran blaming Abu Dhabi for the impasse.
The UAE president personally received Modi at the airport, reciprocating a similar gesture made during his visit to India earlier this year. UAE Air Force F-16 fighter jets escorted Modi’s aircraft upon arrival.
This marked Modi’s eighth visit to the UAE as prime minister.
Major UAE Investments Announced
The leaders also welcomed fresh UAE investments worth $5 billion into India.
According to the Indian readout:
- Emirates NBD will invest $3 billion in India’s RBL Bank
- Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) will invest $1 billion alongside the National Infrastructure & Investment Fund (NIIF) in key infrastructure projects
- International Holding Company will invest another $1 billion in Sammaan Capital
India said the investments reflected the UAE’s long-term confidence in India’s economic growth and reinforced the broader strategic investment partnership between the two countries.
Referring to the UAE president as his “brother”, Modi later described the visit as “brief, yet extraordinarily fruitful” in a post on X.
“I am confident that the outcomes of this visit will further solidify the bonds of friendship between us, and contribute to achieving growth and prosperity,” the prime minister said.
Cooperation Expands to Maritime and AI Sectors
Additional agreements were signed to strengthen cooperation in ship repair and maritime workforce development, with the aim of positioning India as a major hub for shipbuilding and repair services.
Another memorandum focused on collaboration in advanced computing and artificial intelligence, including plans to establish a supercomputing cluster under India’s AI Mission initiative.
The visit highlighted the growing strategic and economic importance of India-UAE relations as both countries seek deeper cooperation across energy security, defence, technology and infrastructure.
