India, UAE come closer, set goal to double trade| India News
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**Revised Title** "India, UAE Unveil Ambitious Plans to Boost Trade and Defence Cooperation" **Revised Article** India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have taken a significant step forward in strengthening their bilateral relations, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed (MBZ) announcing plans to double their trade to $200 billion by 2032. The two leaders unveiled a strategic defence partnership and a 10-year agreement for the supply of 0.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year. The visit, which lasted just three hours, marked a significant moment in India's relations with the West Asian state. Modi personally received MBZ on his arrival in New Delhi, reflecting the importance attached by India to its ties with the UAE, home to nearly 4.5 million Indians and a key energy supplier. The two leaders reviewed bilateral collaboration in a wide range of areas and identified innovation, space, and civil nuclear energy as sectors for future cooperation. They also directed their teams to interlink national payment platforms to enable efficient and cost-effective cross-border payments. The two sides signed several agreements, including a letter of intent for a strategic defence partnership framework agreement, which will expand joint work in defence industrial collaboration, defence innovation, training, doctrines, special operations, interoperability, cyber-security, and counter-terrorism. The agreement is seen as a natural evolution of existing defence cooperation between the two countries, rather than a response to specific events in the region. India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri emphasized that the proposed agreement will not lead to India's involvement in conflicts in the region. Both sides highlighted the importance of strategic autonomy and described defence and security cooperation as a "core pillar" of their comprehensive strategic partnership. The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) initiative and exchanged views on regional and global issues. They underlined their shared interest in regional peace, security, and stability. In addition to defence cooperation, the two sides also agreed to strengthen collaboration in technology and innovation, especially in artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies. Modi invited the UAE's sovereign wealth funds to participate in the second National Infrastructure Investment Fund (NIIF) Infrastructure Fund, scheduled for launch in 2026. The visit comes against the backdrop of tensions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia over the situation in Yemen. However, officials said that the visit was not related to these tensions and was focused on strengthening bilateral relations.
