Diplomats have found Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to the UAE (on February 13-14, 2024) and Qatar (on February 14) a significant one, ahead of the Parliamentary Elections in the South Asian nation.
Prime Minister Modi, who is confident of getting a huge majority in the upcoming polls, hinted at closer ties with the UAE. The PM made it clear to West Asia, as well as the global community, that he would return to power for the third consecutive time and there would be no change in the Foreign Policy of his government in the coming days. In Abu Dhabi and Doha, Prime Minister Modi also projected India as an ideal destination for investment.
At the same time, the visiting Indian PM took the Hindutva sentiment to the Arab World by inaugurating a Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. On February 14 (2024), Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the first Hindu stone temple in the capital city of the UAE, describing it as a symbol of the shared heritage of humanity. He also thanked the UAE for scripting a new golden chapter of human history, saying: "I hope that the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) temple will become a symbol of communal harmony and global unity for the whole world." In presence of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Tolerance Minister Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan and spiritual leaders from all faiths, he stressed: "We do not see hatred in diversity, we consider diversity as our specialty! In this temple, we will see a glimpse of diverse faiths at each and every step." The BAPS temple has been built on a 27-acre site in Abu Mreikhah, near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway, at a cost of around USD 84 million.
Interestingly, the Indian PM repeatedly called President Sheikh Zayed 'my brother' in Abu Dhabi. Political analysts have recalled that PM Modi, who has been consistently active in winning the hearts of Shia Muslims in recent times, took President Sheikh Zayed to the western Indian Province of Gujarat for a road show a few weeks ago. The UAE President received an unprecedented and overwhelming welcome from the Indian Muslims in Ahmedabad.
It may be noted that the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from the UAE (in India) surged from USD 1.03 billion to USD 3.35 billion in the last one year. Now, the Modi Administration in New Delhi wants to strengthen ties with Abu Dhabi and to use the bilateral cooperation at various levels to reach the platform of multilateral cooperation. It is evident in India's recent efforts to implement the India-West Asia-East Europe Economic Corridor and to expand the BRICS group in an attempt to connect some West Asian nations. BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Earlier, India thanked the UAE for extending support from the beginning to the end of India's G20 Presidency in 2023.
In 2022, New Delhi and Abu Dhabi signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to boost trade ties. Nearly 90% of India's exports to the UAE come under this agreement. According to sources close to the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, bilateral trade, excluding oil, is on track to reach USD 1 billion by the end of 2030. India has also described the 16% growth in bilateral trade in 2022-23 compared to 2021-22 as historic.
According to the Hindustan Times daily, the UAE has been a major source of jobs, and thereby remittances, with the Indian diaspora amounting to 3.5 million. It has been a key prism through which New Delhi has viewed Abu Dhabi. In recent years, the bilateral relationship has become independent of domestic politics, reflecting the churn in Global Geopolitics, as well as transformations in West Asia.
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