Indian PM Modi's January visit to UAE postponed

Modi was scheduled to visit on January 5

PTI file

Ashwani Kumar

Published: Wed 29 Dec 2021, 6:50 PM

Last updated: Thu 30 Dec 2021, 7:57 AM

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE in January 2022 has been postponed, the Indian Embassy Abu Dhabi confirmed.

“The visit has been postponed. But it has not been cancelled. It will happen soon,” an official from the Indian Embassy said.

According to the official, Modi was scheduled to visit the UAE on January 5 and return the next day.

The UAE has recently rolled out strict measures to prevent the surge in Covid-19 cases in the country. Asked if the threat because of the Omicron variant was a reason for postponement, the official pointed out: “There has been no official reason given but the visit will happen sooner than later.”

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The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Wednesday reported 2,234 cases – six months high since 2,282 cases were reported on June 26.

During the scheduled visit, the India-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was expected to be formally announced. The new deal is expected to increase bilateral trade to $115 billion in five years.

The prime minister was also expected to visit the Indian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The Expo is a platform for businesses to explore new opportunities of bilateral trade and opportunities for partnership in different sectors.

The UAE is currently India’s third-largest trading partner with bilateral trade in 2019-20 valued at $59 billion. The UAE is also India’s second-largest export destination after the US, with exports valued at approximately $29 billion in 2019-20.

India was the UAE’s second-largest trading partner in 2019, with bilateral non-oil trade valued at $41 billion. The UAE is the eighth-largest investor in India, having invested $11 billion between April 2000 and March 2021, while investment by Indian companies in the UAE is estimated to be over $85 billion.

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com