Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held a bilateral meeting with the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, during which they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries in strategic and emerging areas, including defence, space, nuclear energy, technology, and innovation.
During the meeting, held on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, the two leaders reiterated the significance of the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and recalled the recent successful visits of the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to India in January 2026, and of Mr. Modi to the UAE in May 2026.
“The leaders acknowledged the progress achieved in bilateral relations in a wide range of sectors,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. “They positively noted the announcement by the UAE’s International Holding Company to invest in the development of a $11.5 billion integrated greenfield aluminium project in Odisha, India’s largest integrated aluminium investment.”
The project, the statement added, is expected to position Odisha as a global aluminium manufacturing hub.
The leaders also acknowledged the role that L’Imad, as the UAE’s newest sovereign investment fund, could play in further deepening the India-UAE partnership.
“The leaders welcomed the positive outcomes within BRICS during India’s Chairship and agreed that the two countries would continue to work closely through the platform to advance shared interests and priorities and further strengthen BRICS cooperation,” the statement said.
-T.C.A. Sharad Raghavan
