Sat 24 August 2019:
Narendra Modi has arrived at the Emirates Palace ahead of talks with UAE rulers on Saturday – when he is also expected to receive the country’s highest civilian honour.
The Indian Prime Minister was welcomed by Navdeep Suri, India’s ambassador to the country, this morning.
Mr Modi is set to launch the UAE roll-out of the RuPay card – an Indian card payment scheme similar to Visa and Mastercard – at Emirates Palace and release a stamp to commemorate the 150th birthday of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.
Reached Abu Dhabi.
Looking forward to holding talks with His Highness Crown Prince @MohamedBinZayed and discussing the full range of friendship between India and UAE.
Deepening economic relations will also be on the agenda during this visit. pic.twitter.com/gpFmCeulj6
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 23, 2019
Mr Modi arrived into Abu Dhabi on Friday evening. After the meeting with members of the Indian business community, Mr Modi is due to hold talks with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
He is also expected to receive the Order of Zayed, the UAE’s highest civilian honour on Saturday. It was announced that April that the accolade have been conferred on Mr Modi for his work in developing ties between the two countries.
Mr Modi has also indicated that UAE will play an important role alongside India to achieve his ambitious dream of achieving a US$5 trillion economy.
Order of Zayed
About the Order of Zayed, the highest civilian award of the UAE, which he is receiving on Saturday morning, the Prime Minister said, “It is an honour of special significance for me and my fellow 1.3 billion Indians. It commemorates the memory of a great and visionary world leader, the father of this beautiful nation, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.”
“It is an even greater honour to be conferred this Order in the birth centenary year of Sheikh Zayed. His ideas, vision and wisdom are very much relevant in the contemporary times. This award for me also symbolises the brotherly ties between our two countries and their peoples,” Modi stressed.
“We consider the UAE as a valuable partner in realising the objective to reach US$5 trillion economy through a mutually beneficial partnership,” Mr Modi told Wam in an interview published on his arrival in the country.
Ahead of the visit, Mr Modi paid tribute to Sheikh Mohamed, citing their relationship as a driving force between UAE-India relations.
“The Crown Prince and I regard each other as brothers,” he said on Friday.
When asked about receiving the Order of Zayed, the Indian prime minister said it was a testimony to the two nations growing partnership.
“It is also an honour for the entire Indian nation of 1.3 billion people,” he told the Khaleej Times.
Mr Modi will leave the UAE for Bahrain on Saturday evening.
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