NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Abu Dhabi airport on Tuesday, where UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayad al Nahyan came to receive him. The two leaders had a bilateral meeting and signed eight agreements.The PM is also scheduled to inaugurate the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir, the first Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday. “The BAPS temple is an example of your affinity for India.” He said the construction of the temple in Abu Dhabi would not have been possible without the support from the UAE leadership. The PM also thanked the UAE President for granting land for the construction of the temple.“India and the UAE are partners in progress. Our relationship is of talent, innovation and culture,” Modi said while addressing the Indian community here at the ‘Ahlan Modi’ (Hello Modi in Arabic) grand event. The two sides signed a bilateral investment treaty and an agreement on inter-linking domestic credit/debit cards-RuPay India with JAYWAN (UAE). “It was an excellent meeting with my brother Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. The friendship between India and the UAE is growing stronger, greatly benefiting our people,’’ said Modi.“I thank you for this grand welcome. As you said, I feel that whenever I have come here, I have always felt that I have come to my home and family,” Modi said in his opening remarks at the bilateral meeting. “We have met five times in the last seven months. Today, there is a mutual partnership between India and the UAE in every sector,” he said.The two leaders reviewed various facets of the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discussed ways to deepen it further.“We discussed ways to advance bilateral ties across diverse fields such as economy, investment, trade, energy and technology. The UAE and India are united by our shared keenness to develop bilateral strategic partnership,” said the UAE President.
Source link
