Dubai Crown Prince in Delhi Today: What's the Agenda

New Delhi: Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, is in India for a one-day visit with a high-level delegation to strengthen trade and strategic ties between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sheikh Hamdan is accompanied by a delegation of ministers, senior officials, and business leaders. This marks his first official visit to India as the Crown Prince of Dubai.

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What's on the Agenda?

Sheikh Hamdan, who also serves as the deputy prime minister and defence minister of the UAE, is visiting India months after the trip by Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in September, emphasising the agenda of growing bilateral relations. This visit aims to deepen the strategic bonds between the two nations.

During his visit, PM Modi will host a working lunch for Sheikh Hamdan. The Crown Prince is also scheduled to meet with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss areas of mutual interest.

Sheikh Hamdan will also travel to Mumbai, where he will attend a business roundtable with leading industry figures from both countries. This interaction aims to enhance India-UAE economic and commercial cooperation, particularly in both traditional and emerging sectors.

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Dubai has long played a significant role in India’s commercial, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges with the UAE. A significant portion of India’s 4.3-million-strong diaspora in the UAE resides and works in Dubai.

The visit is expected to further cement the comprehensive strategic partnership between India and the UAE, strengthening multifaceted ties with Dubai.

Since the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) came into effect in 2022, bilateral trade has surged to nearly $85 billion in FY23.

The UAE is now India’s third-largest trade partner, after the United States and China, and its second-largest export destination.