Watch: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed receives Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi:  President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today received Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, who is on an official visit to the UAE.

Upon arrival at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, the Indian Prime Minister's motorcade was met by a group of Emirati children waving the flags of both countries. His Highness greeted Prime Minister Modi and accompanied him during an official reception ceremony that included a guard of honour welcome, a 21-gun salute, and a performance of the national anthems of India and the UAE.

On his Twitter account, Sheikh Mohamed said: I had the pleasure of welcoming Indian Prime Minister @narendramodi to Abu Dhabi today. We discussed the ongoing progress of our bilateral ties, our shared interest in promoting sustainable global growth, and ways to further boost collaboration between our countries & our people.”

Earlier in the day, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, received Narendra Modi, at the start of his official visit to the UAE.

He welcomed the Prime Minister of India and his accompanying delegation.

During their meeting at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed welcomed the visit of Prime Minister Modi as an opportunity to further strengthen bilateral ties for the benefit of both nations and their people – across economic, investment, development and renewable energy fields, as well as health, food security, education, and advanced technology.

The two leaders explored opportunities to accelerate the growth in relations between the UAE and India and ways to encourage further bilateral ties at the people-to-people level.

During the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed and Prime Minister Modi exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues, stating that the UAE and India remain key supporters of all efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability throughout the region and the world.

Both sides stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in reaching peaceful solutions to disputes and ensuring the safety and security of societies affected by conflict and crises.

During the meeting, the UAE President and the Indian Prime Minister also discussed the COP28 climate conference to be hosted by the UAE later this year.

Sheikh Mohamed noted that given its influential role within the international community, India’s active participation at COP28 was eagerly anticipated, and the UAE was looking forward to exploring ways to expand upon the two countries’ constructive cooperation in the field of climate action.

The UAE President thanked Prime Minister Modi for India's support for the cooperative relationship between the UAE and both the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the BRICS group, and also expressed his appreciation for the UAE being invited to participate as a guest in the work of the G20 under India’s presidency in 2023.

The UAE President stated his confidence that India's active leadership of the group during the current year will have an important impact on producing results that are in the interest of the whole world.

The Prime Minister of India expressed his appreciation for the warm reception and thanked His Highness for his continuous efforts to reinforce the longstanding ties between their two countries.

Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed his wish to continue working with His Highness to advance UAE-India relations with the aim of achieving the sustainable development ambitions of both sides.

Writing in the VIP guestbook, the Prime Minister expressed his hope that relations between the two countries will continue to witness further development and prosperity in the coming years.

Following the meeting, a luncheon was held in honour of Prime Minister Modi and his accompanying delegation.

The meeting and the lunch were attended by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Special Affairs Advisor at the Presidential Court; Ali Mohammed Hammad Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for National Security; Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment; Sarah Al Musallam, Minister of State for Early Education; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority and member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; Jassim Mohammed Buataba Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Department of Finance and member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE); and Dr. Abdul Nasser Al Shaali, UAE Ambassador to India.

Attending from the Indian side were a number of senior officials including Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the UAE.