NEW DELHI / RankWire.AI / – During their recent meeting on September 12, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed ways to deepen the partnership between the UAE and India and enhance collaboration across vital sectors. Their discussion took place at Hyderabad House amid the 18th BRICS Summit, with a focus on economic integration, investment opportunities, and the broader scope of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership linking the two nations.
The leaders examined the cooperation under the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, known as CEPA, alongside the long-standing political, commercial, cultural, energy, and people-to-people connections between their countries. Both sides also considered expanding collaborations in areas that have become central to their bilateral relations. The meeting further addressed mutual interests as the two governments engaged regularly across strategic and economic domains.
Sheikh Khaled represented the UAE at the BRICS Summit on behalf of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Modi expressed appreciation for the UAE’s participation during India’s 2026 BRICS chairmanship. The leaders concurred that both nations would persist in working within the group on shared priorities and cooperative efforts. They also recalled Sheikh Mohamed’s visit to India in January 2026 and Modi’s trip to the UAE in May 2026.
Focus on Investment and Key Strategic Sectors
A significant part of the discussion centered on new investment initiatives between the UAE and India. The leaders welcomed International Holding Company’s announced plan for an $11.5 billion integrated greenfield aluminium project in Odisha, which India has described as its largest integrated aluminium investment. Additionally, they discussed L’Imad, the UAE’s newest sovereign investment fund, and its role in bolstering bilateral investment and economic cooperation in areas identified by both governments.
Opportunities in defense, space, nuclear energy, technology, and innovation were also reviewed, complementing an economic relationship already extensive in energy, manufacturing, logistics, food products, electronics, and engineering goods. These discussions underscored the broadening scope of the UAE-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, established in 2017, which has progressively expanded beyond traditional trade and energy links into technology-focused and capital-intensive industries.
Trade between UAE and India Tops $100 Billion
Bilateral trade reached $101.25 billion during India’s 2025-26 fiscal year, marking the highest level ever recorded. During this period, the UAE was India’s third-largest trading partner and second-largest export destination, with Indian exports to the UAE exceeding $37.35 billion. Following the UAE president’s visit to India in January 2026, both nations set a target to boost bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032, building on the growth since the implementation of CEPA.
The UAE-India CEPA, which took effect on May 1, 2022, after signing in February of that year, significantly reduced or eliminated tariffs on more than 80% of the products exported from the UAE to India. It also expanded access for services and worked to remove technical barriers to trade. The recent meeting in New Delhi reaffirmed the ongoing high-level engagement as both countries continue to strengthen their commercial, strategic, and investment ties within existing bilateral frameworks.