New Delhi, April 8: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar extended a warm welcome to UAE Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum as he arrived in India for his first official visit on Tuesday.
In a message shared on X, Jaishankar expressed his delight at the Crown Prince’s visit and appreciated his positive sentiment towards the growing cooperation and vibrant ties between India and the UAE.
Jaishankar’s post read, “Delighted to welcome Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Defence of UAE HH @HamdanMohammed at the start of his first official visit to India. Value his positive sentiments for our wide-ranging cooperation and vibrant ties.”
Crown Prince Hamdan, who also serves as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, is in India from April 8 to 9, 2025, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Upon his arrival, he was greeted with a ceremonial guard of honor and was received by Union Minister of State for Tourism & Petroleum and Natural Gas, Suresh Gopi. This marks his inaugural official visit to India as Crown Prince of Dubai.
During his visit, the Crown Prince is accompanied by a delegation of key ministers, senior government officials, and prominent business leaders, signaling the expanding depth of the India-UAE partnership. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) emphasized that the visit reflects the growing strategic ties between the two nations.
After engagements in New Delhi, the Crown Prince will head to Mumbai, where he will take part in a business roundtable with top Indian and Emirati business leaders. This roundtable aims to explore avenues for enhanced trade and investment, focusing on both traditional sectors such as infrastructure and energy, as well as emerging areas like fintech, innovation, and sustainability. The goal is to further accelerate economic cooperation and establish a dynamic commercial partnership between the two nations.
Dubai has long been a crucial hub for India-UAE commercial and cultural exchanges, with the Indian diaspora in the UAE, particularly in Dubai, playing a key role. The community, numbering around 4.3 million, represents a significant pillar of the relationship, further strengthening the ties between the two countries.
The visit is expected to inject fresh momentum into the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and deepen the institutional and grassroots connections between India and Dubai.
(With agency inputs)
