Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a one-on-one meeting in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to review the bilateral partnership and discuss new areas of cooperation.
The two leaders welcomed deepening of the comprehensive strategic partnership across sectors, including trade and investment, digital infrastructure, fintech, energy, infrastructure, culture and people to people ties, said an official statement.
Both Modi and Al Nahyan also held delegation-level talks and several memoranda of understanding (MoUs), including a bilateral investment treaty and a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, were exchanged in their presence.
The two countries signed an MoU on cooperation in the field of electrical interconnection and trade. This opens new areas of collaboration in the field of energy, including energy security and energy trade, the PMO said.
Both India and the UAE also signed an Intergovernmental Framework Agreement on the India-Middle East Economic Corridor and an MoU on cooperation in Digital Infrastructure Projects.
A cooperation protocol between the National Archives of the two countries and an MoU for cooperation in the field of heritage and museums were also signed during the delegation-level talks.
Another agreement on interlinking of the instant payment platforms—UPI (India) and AANI (UAE)—is expected to facilitate seamless cross-border transactions between the two countries. Earlier, an MoU on interlinking payment and messaging systems had been signed in July last year during Modi’s visit to Abu Dhabi.
An agreement on inter-linking domestic debit/credit cards—RuPay (India) with JAYWAN (UAE)—was also signed, which will enhance the universal acceptance of RuPay across the UAE.
Modi congratulated President Al Nahyan on the launch of UAE’s domestic card JAYWAN, which is based on the digital RuPay credit and debit card stack.
Earlier, the prime minister was received by Al Nahyan at the airport where they hugged each other. He was later given a guard of honour.
Modi will inaugurate the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir, the first Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday.
