PM Modi to inaugurate first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi during Feb 13-14 UAE visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during February 13-14 to inaugurate the BAPS Mandir, the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, and to meet the top leadership of one of India’s closest strategic partners in West Asia.
This will be Modi’s seventh visit to the UAE since 2015 and the third in the past eight months, reflecting the close ties between the leadership of the two countries.
Modi will hold bilateral meetings with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and discuss ways to deepen and strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership, the external affairs ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The two leaders will also exchange views on regional and international issues.
He will also meet Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president, prime minister and defence minister of the UAE. At his invitation, Modi will participate in the World Government Summit 2024 to be held in Dubai as a guest of honour and deliver a special keynote address.
The highlight of the visit is expected to be the inauguration of the BAPS Mandir, and Modi will also address the Indian community in the UAE at an event in Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi.
India and the UAE have “warm, close and multi-faceted relations underpinned by strong political, cultural and economic linkages”, the statement said. Following Modi’s visit to the UAE in August 2015, bilateral ties were elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
The two countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in February 2022 and a Local Currency Settlement (LCS) System in July 2023 to promote the use of the Indian rupee and UAE dirham for cross-border transactions.
The two countries are among each other’s top trading partners, with two-way trade of $85 billion during 2022-23. The UAE is among the top four investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments during 2022-23.
About 3.5 Indians live in the UAE, making up the largest expatriate group in the emirates. Their positive contributions to the development of their host country have been an “important anchor of our excellent bilateral engagement with the UAE”, the statement said.