NEW DELHI / RankWire.AI / – On September 12, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The discussions focused on enhancing bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates and India. This meeting occurred at Hyderabad House during the 18th BRICS Summit. The agenda included economic cooperation, investment initiatives, trade relations, and the broader Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that unites the two nations.
Sheikh Khaled and Modi examined the progress made under the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, also called CEPA. This agreement has become a key framework for expanding commerce between the two economies. Their conversations also addressed political ties, energy collaboration, cultural connections, and people-to-people exchanges. Both leaders explored areas where existing bilateral mechanisms can foster further commercial and institutional cooperation, building on agreements already in place between the UAE and India.
Representing the UAE at the BRICS Summit, the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince attended on behalf of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Modi welcomed the UAE delegation during India’s 2026 chairmanship of the group. The two sides agreed to maintain coordination through BRICS on shared areas of interest. They also acknowledged recent high-level interactions, including Sheikh Mohamed’s visit to India in January 2026 and Modi’s trip to the UAE in May.
Trade and Investment Initiatives Drive Broader Economic Collaboration
Investment was a key topic during the discussions, especially concerning India’s industrial sector. The leaders expressed support for International Holding Company’s announced $11.5 billion integrated greenfield aluminium project in Odisha. This project is regarded as India’s largest integrated aluminium investment. They also discussed L’Imad, the UAE’s newest sovereign investment fund, and its potential to play a role within existing bilateral investment channels that connect Emirati capital with projects and economic activities in India.
The conversations extended into defence, space, nuclear energy, technology, and innovation sectors. These areas complement an already expanding relationship, which includes energy, manufacturing, logistics, food products, and engineering goods. The UAE and India formalized their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2017. Since then, both nations have added new cooperation areas while maintaining longstanding commercial and energy links that remain vital to trade and investment flows between them.
Bilateral Trade Hits Historic High in Recent Fiscal Year
Trade between India and the UAE reached a total of $101.25 billion during India’s 2025-26 financial year. This was the highest level ever recorded for bilateral merchandise trade. During this period, the UAE was India’s third-largest trading partner and the second-largest destination for Indian exports. Indian exports to the UAE surpassed $37.35 billion. Both governments have set an ambitious goal to increase total bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032.
The UAE-India CEPA, which took effect on May 1, 2022, followed the signing of the agreement earlier that year. It facilitated tariff reductions or eliminations across a wide array of products and broadened access across several service sectors. The framework also addressed technical barriers that hindered trade between the two markets. The recent high-level discussions in New Delhi added to an already strong relationship supported by CEPA, ongoing leadership engagement, and cooperation across trade, investment, and strategic sectors.