New Delhi, Jan 18 (UNI) The President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be on a day-long official visit to India on Monday, January 19. The visit assumes significance, coming in the wake of rising tensions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The visit is at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and is the third visit to India by the UAE president since he assumed the office of President of the United Arab Emirates.
The rupture between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, two Gulf heavyweights which were never very close, has come out in the open especially involving recent developments in southern Yemen with Riyadh accusing Abu Dhabi of supporting secessionist forces that are seeking to carve out a separate Southern State. The two nations, which are part of the Arab Coalition that attacked the Houthis in northern Yemen, have been trying to outdo each other to covertly wrest control over the oil-rich southern Yemen region, and thereby the vital Red Sea corridor and the Bab al-Mandab crossing through which a major chunk of international trade flows.
In recent weeks, especially in December 2025, rapid military and political developments in southern Yemen saw rising calls for the creation of a separate southern state, which led to Saudi Arabia unleashing aerial assaults on the region and accusing UAE of supporting secessionism. The UAE backed out rapidly from the region, with the result that it has been left alone, with Riyadh forming a clique along with Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar and Egypt.
Amidst this backdrop, the UAE’s outreach to India comes as New Delhi is seen as a stable and reliable partner.
The visit is likely to see the two sides push the other broader multilateral groupings, like the I2U2 grouping (India, Israel, UAE, USA) and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which have not seen much movement recently, largely due to the Middle East conflict and the Iran developments. The visit also comes amid India’s upcoming BRICS presidency this year.
According to the readout:
“The visit builds on the strong momentum generated by recent high-level exchanges, including the visit of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in September 2024, and the visit of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE and Crown Prince of Dubai in April 2025.
“India and the UAE share warm, close, and multi-faceted relations, underpinned by strong political, cultural, and economic ties. The two countries are among each other’s top trading and investment partners, bolstered by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the Local Currency Settlement (LCS) system, and the Bilateral Investment Treaty.
“India and the UAE also enjoy a robust energy partnership, including long-term energy supply arrangements.
“The visit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to chart new frontiers for the India–UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. It will also enable an exchange of views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, where India and the UAE share a high degree of convergence.”
