A diplomatic embrace: PM Modi greets UAE President at airport on his brief visit, signals strong ties

Sharing visuals of the meeting on social media, PM Modi described the visit as one to “welcome my brother,” with photographs showing the two leaders warmly embracing and later travelling together in the same car from the airport.

“Went to the airport to welcome my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. His visit illustrates the importance he attaches to a strong India-UAE friendship. Looking forward to our discussions,” the prime minister said in a post on X.

The UAE president’s visit, lasting around three hours, comes at a sensitive time marked by heightened tensions in West Asia, including strained Iran–US relations, ongoing instability in Gaza, and the unresolved Yemen conflict involving Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the visit is being held at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi and builds on the momentum generated by recent high-level exchanges between the two countries.

These include the visit of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in September 2024, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence and Crown Prince of Dubai, in April 2025.

The timing of Sheikh Mohamed’s visit also coincides with significant regional developments, with US President Donald Trump preparing to roll out Phase 2 of the Gaza Peace Plan, aimed at setting up a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

This marks Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s third official visit to India since assuming office as UAE president and his fifth visit to the country in the past decade, underscoring the continuity and depth of strategic engagement between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi.