UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to visit India on 19 Jan: MEA

INDIA'S Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Sunday that following an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is scheduled for an official state visit to India on 19 January 2026.

This trip marks the UAE president’s third formal visit to India since his inauguration and his fifth journey to the nation within the last ten years, according to the MEA's statement.

The upcoming visit follows the significant momentum established by recent high-level diplomatic interactions, such as the September 2024 arrival of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and the April 2025 visit of Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Minister, and Crown Prince of Dubai.

India and the UAE maintain cordial, intimate, and diverse relations supported by deep political, cultural, and financial connections.

The two nations rank among each other's primary trade and investment associates, a status strengthened by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the Local Currency Settlement (LCS) framework, and the Bilateral Investment Treaty.

Energy Alliance

Furthermore, India and the UAE benefit from a solid energy alliance, which includes enduring energy procurement agreements.

This diplomatic mission will offer both leaders a chance to define new directions for the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. It will also facilitate a dialogue on regional and international matters of shared concern, where both countries possess a significant level of policy alignment, the statement noted.

Diplomatic ties between India and the United Arab Emirates were initiated in 1972. While the UAE established its Embassy in India that same year, the Indian Embassy in the UAE commenced operations in 1973.

Both nations maintain robust collaboration within the United Nations and participate in various multilateral groups, including BRICS, I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA), and the UAE-France-India (UFI) Trilateral. Notably, the UAE served as a Guest Country during the G20 Summit hosted under India's leadership.

India-UAE Joint Military Exercise

Recently, the second edition of the India-UAE Joint Military Drill took place in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Conducted between December 18 and 30, the bilateral military engagement reinforced the growing defence alliance between the two countries and highlighted their mutual dedication to regional tranquillity, safety, and balance, according to an official statement.

Exercise Desert Cyclone-II ended with a concluding event at Al-Hamra Training City, representing the effective completion of rigorous combined training involving the Indian Army and the UAE Land Forces. The drill featured a systematic blend of theoretical and practical instruction intended to improve interoperability, collective confidence, and tactical harmony in a metropolitan setting, prioritising sub-conventional manoeuvres under a United Nations directive.

Collaborative tasks spanned urban warfare basics, building identification and neutralisation, IED recognition, medical extraction, emergency care, and comprehensive mission strategy. Personnel performed advanced physical exercises in constructed zones, involving indoor intervention and structural sweeps, helicopter-based missions, aerial strikes, and platoon-scale combined assault drills.

Procedures for room infiltration and securing were traded between the two military forces and later practised, allowing for the alignment of strategy, methods, and protocols. The instruction finished with unified offensive and defensive metropolitan manoeuvres, showcasing synchronised movement and collective combat preparedness, the release stated.