E-Paper
Sign In
Celebrating India's progress with UAE as a key partner in trade and innovation
Sunjay Sudhir, India’s Ambassador to the UAE, reflects on the vibrant and evolving partnership between the two nations
- PUBLISHED: Fri 15 Aug 2025, 8:00 AM
As India celebrates its Independence Day today, over 1.4 billion Indians, including more than 4.5 million in the UAE, commemorate the country’s monumental achievements with pride. In this ‘Amrit Kaal’ or golden era, India is experiencing exponential growth across infrastructure, innovation, healthcare, energy, sustainability, and beyond. By the end of this decade, India is projected to become the world’s third-largest economy. In this journey of progress, the UAE stands as a close friend and trusted partner.
The India-UAE partnership is driven by visionary leadership and deeply rooted people-to-people ties. In the past two years alone, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the UAE thrice, while the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has visited India twice.
Recommended For You
Continuing this momentum, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also visited India in the past year, symbolising generational continuity in this strategic friendship.
On the economic front, the partnership continues to thrive. A milestone was reached when bi-lateral trade crossed $100 billion — a feat fuelled by the India-UAE CEPA (2022) and initia-tives like the Bilateral Investment Treaty, Virtual Trade Corridor, Bharat Mart, interlinked pay-ment systems, and local currency settlements. These initiatives have enabled the two nations to leverage their economic complementarities like never before.
Mutual investments are steadily rising. Since 2000, the UAE has emerged as India’s 7th-largest source of FDI, contributing over $22.84 billion. In FY 2024–25 alone, UAE investments into India totalled $4.3 billion, while Indian investments in the UAE are estimated at $85 billion. The opening of ADIA’s office and a branch of Mashreq Bank in GIFT City, the Dubai Cham-ber’s second India office in Bengaluru, and the establishment of SAIL, MECON, and NMDC offices in Dubai reflect growing business confidence.
The educational partnership is also flourishing. Following the IIT Delhi–Abu Dhabi initiative, IIM Ahmedabad and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade are opening their first international campuses in the UAE very soon. Leading private institutions like Symbiosis University have also established a presence, while the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) has set up its re-gional hub in the UAE.
India and the UAE are also exploring new frontiers in AI, green hydrogen, supercomputing, and genomics. Recent agreements include cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and collaboration in polar research signed during the visits of Sheikh Khaled and UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed.
The human bridge between the two countries is perhaps the strongest and oldest pillar of this partnership. With over 4.5 million Indians residing in the UAE and 5.5 million Indian tourists visiting in 2024, the depth of this relationship is clear. The BAPS Hindu Temple stands as a beacon of cultural and spiritual convergence between the nations.
As India and the UAE deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the story of their re-lations is a shining example of how diplomacy, trade, innovation, and human connection can together shape a shared, prosperous future.