The UAE and India are aiming to enhance their friendly relations and economic ties with a $100B trade partnership as part of a CEPA deal. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to India underscores their longstanding strategic and historic ties.
This visit marks a significant step in the development of UAE-India relations, which have become a global model of constructive cooperation in economic and sustainable development, investment, trade, and climate action.
The relationship builds on a history of high-level meetings, beginning with Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s visit to India in January 1975. He signed a Cultural Agreement, followed by another visit in April 1992, which resulted in a double taxation agreement.
In January 2017, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s visit marked a pivotal moment with the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement and 13 other agreements. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visits to the UAE from August 2015 to February 2024 further solidified ties.
The launch of a Joint Vision Statement on 18 February 2022 highlighted areas of focus such as economy, culture, energy, and technology. The CEPA aims to boost non-oil trade to $100B by 2030.
The UAE and India have signed over 96 bilateral agreements since establishing diplomatic relations in 1972 and collaborate on global issues like climate change. Economic cooperation spans various sectors, including renewable energy, technology, and tourism. The CEPA is the first bilateral agreement in the UAE’s CEPA programme, with non-oil trade rising to $53.4B in 2023.
