NEW DELHI : UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is expected to visit the Indian capital on Monday, a trip set to further strengthen the fast-growing partnership between India and the United Arab Emirates, officials and analysts said.
Once anchored in centuries-old trade across the Arabian Sea, ties between the two countries have evolved into one of the world’s most dynamic bilateral relationships, spanning trade, investment, energy, defence and digital cooperation. The momentum has been driven in large part by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed in 2022, widely seen as a turning point in economic engagement.
Bilateral commerce hit fresh highs in 2025, with non-oil trade rising about 34% year on year to roughly $37.6 billion in the first half alone, putting both sides on course to achieve their target of $100 billion in non-oil trade by 2030. Under CEPA, tariffs have been cut on thousands of products, lifting Indian exports of engineering goods, pharmaceuticals and electronics, while easing the flow of UAE capital into India’s infrastructure, technology and renewable energy sectors.
The UAE is India’s seventh-largest investor, with cumulative foreign direct investment exceeding $22 billion since 2000. Energy remains a key pillar of the relationship, with the UAE supplying crude oil and liquefied natural gas to support India’s expanding economy. Recent initiatives have also included rupee-dirham trade settlement mechanisms and the rollout of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in the UAE, reducing dependence on the US dollar in bilateral transactions.
UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's visit to India aims to bolster the dynamic partnership between the two nations, rooted in a historic trade relationship. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has significantly enhanced trade, investment, and energy ties, with non-oil trade surging and ambitious targets set for 2030, further solidifying their economic collaboration.