Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, opened his first official visit to India on April 8, 2025, with a high-level meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi — a session that produced eight Memoranda of Understanding and a renewed commitment to the UAE-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Messages from UAE Leadership
Sheikh Hamdan delivered messages from UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as well as from Vice President and Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Vice President His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The messages conveyed congratulations from the UAE leadership and expressed a strong desire to see India continue its rapid growth and prosperity.
Prime Minister Modi responded with gratitude to the UAE leadership and reaffirmed India's dedication to deepening the bilateral relationship.
Strategic Priorities: Trade, Energy, AI, and Defence
Both leaders agreed that the UAE-India strategic partnership must advance across a broad range of sectors, including trade, tourism, infrastructure, energy, food security, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, space, healthcare, education, and defence.
They underscored the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and the Bilateral Investment Treaty as essential frameworks for unlocking new investment opportunities and facilitating joint ventures between the two nations.
Sheikh Hamdan praised India's economic achievements under Prime Minister Modi's leadership and highlighted the UAE's recognition of the Indian community's vital contribution to the UAE's growth. He pointed to the UAE's business-friendly policies, flexible regulations, and world-class infrastructure as strong foundations for expanding bilateral trade and investment.
Eight MoUs and the Dubai-India Business Forum
The visit yielded eight Memoranda of Understanding spanning trade, education, logistics, and healthcare — concrete deliverables reflecting the breadth of the UAE-India strategic economic agenda.
In parallel, Dubai Chambers concluded the Dubai-India Business Forum in Mumbai, attracting more than 200 senior officials and 39 prominent business leaders. The forum focused on building future-ready economic corridors and expanding private-sector collaboration between Dubai and India's leading commercial hubs.
Regional and Global Stability
During their discussions, Sheikh Hamdan and Prime Minister Modi also addressed regional and global developments. Both leaders affirmed their shared belief that peaceful dialogue is the right path to resolving conflicts and maintaining international stability.
Sheikh Hamdan described the visit as reflecting the UAE's deep commitment to evolving the bilateral partnership to better address global challenges and capitalise on new opportunities — setting a forward-looking tone for UAE-India relations in the years ahead.
