India and the United Arab Emirates significantly strengthened their strategic partnership during UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s brief visit to New Delhi in January 2026, marking another milestone in rapidly expanding bilateral ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Mohamed held wide-ranging discussions that resulted in agreements spanning defence, trade, space, energy and advanced technologies, reflecting shared strategic interests amid shifting geopolitical dynamics in West Asia.

Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, noting the steady deepening of cooperation over the past decade. Building on the momentum generated by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the two sides set an ambitious target of raising bilateral trade to 200 billion US dollars in the coming years. Emphasis was placed on enhancing connectivity between businesses, promoting small and medium enterprises, and strengthening trade facilitation mechanisms to support long-term economic growth.

Defence and security cooperation emerged as a key pillar of the visit. India and the UAE agreed to move towards a Strategic Defence Partnership Framework, aimed at expanding collaboration in defence manufacturing, joint training, advanced military technologies and counter-terrorism. The discussions reflected growing convergence on regional security concerns and a shared commitment to combating extremism and ensuring stability across the wider region.

The visit also gave a strong push to cooperation in space and emerging technologies. Both sides agreed to deepen collaboration in the space sector, including joint development of space infrastructure and commercial space services. Partnerships in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and digital infrastructure were also discussed, with plans to explore joint data centres and advanced computing facilities in India with UAE participation.

Energy security featured prominently, underlining the UAE’s role as one of India’s most reliable long-term energy partners. A long-term liquefied natural gas supply agreement was finalised, ensuring steady gas supplies to India over the next decade. The two countries also agreed to explore expanded civil nuclear cooperation, including collaboration on next-generation nuclear technologies and small modular reactors, in line with India’s evolving legal and policy framework.

Strategic investments and infrastructure development were another focus area. The UAE expressed interest in investing in large-scale industrial and infrastructure projects in India, including smart cities, ports, logistics hubs and energy corridors. Cooperation in financial services was also highlighted, with UAE institutions expanding their presence in India’s international financial hubs to facilitate cross-border investment and capital flows.

The visit took place against the backdrop of ongoing realignments in West Asia, where regional tensions and evolving alliances are reshaping strategic equations. Analysts view the deepening India–UAE partnership as part of India’s broader engagement with the Gulf and the UAE’s strategy of diversifying its global partnerships beyond traditional alignments.

Although the visit was short, its outcomes were substantial. The agreements and understandings reached underscored the growing strategic trust between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi and signalled a shared intent to elevate the relationship into a long-term partnership spanning security, economic growth and technological innovation.

This image is taken from Zee News.