UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will visit India. He will come on an official visit to India on 19 January 2026. He has been invited by the Prime Minister of India. The heads of state of both the countries will also meet each other. This visit of the UAE President is taking place at a time when there is tension with Saudi Arabia. Apart from this, regional equations are also changing in Iran.

Nahayan’s third visit to India

This is his third official visit since assuming the post of President of UAE. He has visited India four times in the last 10 years. This is his fifth visit. These visits show the strength between the two countries.

Earlier, in September 2025, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan and in April 2025, UAE Deputy Prime Minister Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited India.

There have been warm relations between the two countries. They also share stake in many areas, which is based on political, cultural and economic relations. Both countries are important partners in each other’s trade and investment. These include Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), Local Currency Settlement (LCS) System and Bilateral Investment Treaty. Apart from this, there is also a strong energy partnership between the two countries. This includes long term supply system.

This visit will provide an opportunity to explore new dimensions of new strategic partnership.

This visit of the UAE President is an opportunity to explore new avenues for the comprehensive strategic partnership of both the countries (India and UAE). It will also enable exchange of regional and global issues of mutual interest. There is also a high level consensus between the two countries regarding this matter.

Why are relations between the two countries important?

Relations between India and UAE have become stronger in recent times. UAE is the seventh largest source of foreign investment in India. UAE has invested more than $22 billion in India since 2000. This investment is playing an important role in the development sector of India. Such investments have strengthened economic cooperation between the two countries, and are expected to improve further in the future. In such a situation, the friendship between the two countries is important in many ways.