Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, 15 May concluded high-stakes bilateral talks in Abu Dhabi with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, signing a suite of agreements spanning defence, energy, and investment that signal a sharp deepening of the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The deals include a $5 billion investment commitment into Indian infrastructure, RBL Bank, and Samman Capital, alongside frameworks covering LPG supply, strategic petroleum reserves, and a bilateral strategic defence partnership.

Key Agreements Signed

The two sides formalised a framework for a bilateral strategic defence partnership — a structural upgrade to security cooperation that goes beyond existing arrangements. On the energy front, agreements were reached for the supply of LPG and cooperation on strategic petroleum reserves, reinforcing India's energy security calculus at a time of heightened West Asian volatility.

A separate agreement was signed for the establishment of a ship repair cluster at Vadinar, in Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district — a move that analysts say could position India as a regional maritime maintenance hub in the Arabian Sea corridor.

What Modi Said at Delegation Talks

Speaking during delegation-level talks, Prime Minister Modi said, “India stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the UAE in every situation, and it will continue to do so. For the restoration of peace and stability, India will extend all possible cooperation.”

Modi stressed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain “free and open” and that international laws must be respected — remarks widely read as a calibrated signal amid ongoing regional tensions. He acknowledged the global impact of the West Asia conflict and underscored that “dialogue and diplomacy remain the best way to resolve issues.”

Modi also recalled the UAE President’s January visit to India, noting that both sides had then agreed to “qualitatively upgrade” relations. “Even in such a small duration, we have made significant progress in all matters,” he said, adding, “In the time to come, we will go ahead together in every area.”

Strategic and Economic Context

The UAE is India’s third-largest trading partner and a critical node in India’s energy supply chain. The $5 billion investment — directed at infrastructure and financial institutions — comes at a time when India is actively courting Gulf sovereign capital to fund its infrastructure build-out. Notably, this is not the first such Gulf investment pledge; earlier rounds of UAE capital commitments have had mixed disbursement records, making implementation timelines a key variable to watch.

The ship repair cluster at Vadinar dovetails with India’s broader maritime ambition under the Sagarmala programme and could generate skilled employment in the coastal economy. This is also the third Modi visit to the UAE since 2015, each producing a progressively denser web of institutional agreements.

The Five-Nation Tour

The Abu Dhabi leg is the opening stop of Prime Minister Modi’s five-nation tour from 15 to 20 May, which will subsequently take him to the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy. The tour is designed to deepen India’s strategic and economic partnerships across energy, defence, technology, green transition, and trade — a diplomatic sprint that reflects New Delhi’s intent to diversify its global partnerships amid a fractured geopolitical landscape.

Modi received a ceremonial welcome on arrival in the UAE earlier in the day before proceeding to the bilateral summit with President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. With the defence pact framework now signed, both governments are expected to operationalise the agreement through joint working groups in the coming months.