UAE President’s Brief India Visit Marked by PM Modi’s Warm Welcome

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended a special and personal welcome to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during his brief three-hour visit to India on Monday, highlighting the close and enduring friendship between the two nations.

Sharing visuals on social media, Prime Minister Modi described his visit to the airport as an effort to welcome his “brother,” underscoring the warmth of the India–UAE relationship. Photographs showed the two leaders greeting each other with a hug and later travelling together in the same car from the airport.

“Went to the airport to welcome my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. His visit illustrates the importance he attaches to a strong India-UAE friendship. Looking forward to our discussions,” PM Modi posted on X.

The UAE President’s short visit comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions in West Asia, including strained Iran–US relations, ongoing instability in Gaza, and the unresolved Yemen conflict involving Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the visit was held at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi and builds on the momentum of recent high-level exchanges between the two countries. These include visits by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in September 2024, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, in April 2025.

The visit also coincides with significant developments in the region, including preparations by the United States to launch Phase Two of the Gaza Peace Plan, which aims to establish a National Committee for the administration of Gaza.

This marks Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s third official visit to India since becoming UAE President and his fifth visit in the past decade, reflecting the sustained high-level engagement and strategic partnership between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi.