During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Arab Emirates, India on Friday signed several agreements with the Gulf nation related to defence, energy security, and strategic cooperation.
The UAE also announced plans to invest $5 billion in India in infrastructure development and financial institutions.
India signed a deal with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The agreement is aimed at strengthening India’s energy security as global fuel prices remain volatile.
The two countries also signed an agreement related to strategic crude oil reserves. Under the arrangement, the UAE will continue storing crude oil in India’s strategic petroleum reserve facilities.
This is expected to help India maintain emergency fuel supplies during periods of global disruption.
Another important agreement involved defence cooperation between the two countries. India and the UAE agreed to deepen military and security ties through joint exercises, training, technology cooperation, and defence manufacturing collaboration.
The discussions between the two sides also focused on strengthening economic and trade relations.
Both countries reviewed the progress made under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which came into effect earlier and boosted bilateral trade.
Officials from both nations said the partnership between India and the UAE has expanded significantly in recent years across sectors such as energy, infrastructure, logistics, fintech, food security, and digital technology.
The visit comes at a time when global energy markets are facing uncertainty due to geopolitical tensions and supply disruptions linked to the conflict in West Asia.
India has been trying to secure stable long-term energy supplies from friendly nations in the Gulf region.
The UAE is among India’s largest trading partners and one of the biggest suppliers of crude oil to the country. The latest agreements are expected to further strengthen strategic and economic ties between the two nations.
