On Monday, he is expected to address the Indian diaspora in a huge gathering at a cricket stadium in Dubai where 40,000 people can be seated but 15,000 more will be accommodated outside where the speech will be telecasted on screens.
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The Indian prime minister was received by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. With the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) having a whopping United States dollars 800 billion sovereign funds and India is keen to attract investments from it in the infrastructure sector including real estate, port development and railways.
After his arrival, Modi, on first public engagement here, visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a key place of worship in the UAE and known as a masterpiece of Islamic architecture and described it as a fine example of human achievement and unity.
It is named after the founder and first President of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Mr Modi will also interact with members of the 2.5 million-strong Indian community in the UAE.
The UAE is the third largest trading partner of India.
Modi will hold official talks with the leadership of Abu Dhabi and later visit Masdar City, a planned city project in Abu Dhabi, where he is expected to spend some time watching presentations.
Shortly before his plane left from India en route to UAE, Modi tweeted in Arabic: “Welcome UAE, I am very optimistic regarding this visit and I am confident that this visit will enhance relations between India and the UAE”.
“So India and the UAE have everything to be a top priority for each other”. This tells you the importance I attach to the UAE. I feel India is a land of many opportunities.
Meanwhile, plunging global crude oil prices that have again dropped below the psychological $50-a-barrel mark this year have forced the UAE government to cut down on subsidies and deregulate petrol and diesel prices last month, resulting in an increase by 24 percent in the price of petrol to $0.58 per litre.
According to experts this is a significant visit and will have number of issues on the agenda, including trade, investments, energy and security.
“The Gulf region is vital for India’s economic, energy and security interests”, Modi told the Khaleej Times in an interview.
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The UAE, a federation of seven emirates, is home to about 2.6 million Indian expatriates who comprise a third of the total population and outnumber the local Emirati population.
