The crown prince of Abu Dhabi and the deputy supreme commander of the United Arab Emirates armed forces Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday noon.
Al Nahyan arrived on Tuesday as chief guest for India’s Jan 26 Republic Day parade. It will be the second time a leader from a Persian Gulf country will be attending the Republic Day parade after king of Saudi Arabia in 2006.
The parade usually showcases nuclear missiles aimed at Pakistan and China as part of India’s surging military hardware, with growing contribution from Israel.
Modi gave Al Nahyan a warm hug at the tarmac, seen as a signal of developing proximity that could be linked to Pakistan’s refusal to the UAE to join the war in Yemen.
The momentum of cooperation between India and United Arab Emirates has accelerated over the last few years and the two countries are seeking to elevate the bilateral relationship to higher levels.
“It is also significant given that UAE is a close ally of Pakistan, whom India is trying to diplomatically isolate over the issue of cross-border terrorism,” the Indian Express reported.
There are also more than 2.6 million Indians in the UAE and their annual remittance is estimated to be around $14 billion. India had previously hosted the King of Saudi Arabia as chief guest though he refused to pay homage at Mahatma Gandhi’s shrine because it violated his knowledge of Islam.