UAE Foreign Minister arrives in India on 3-day visit

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived here on a three-day bilateral visit to the country on Sunday evening.

During the visit, Nahyan, who is also the Minister for International Cooperation, is slated to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday.

On Tuesday, the UAE Foreign Minister is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and participate in a business roundtable interaction with CEOs of Indian companies.

The visit is aimed at providing the two sides with an opportunity to explore new areas of cooperation to further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Thursday.

The UAE is India's third-largest trade partner and fourth largest energy supplier. It is also the first country to participate in India's 'Strategic Petroleum Reserves' programme.

As the chair of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the UAE had invited India as the 'Guest of Honour' at the 46th Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of OIC in Abu Dhabi in March.

Modi had visited the UAE in August 2015 during which the two countries decided to elevate their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. The Prime Minister had also paid a visit to the Gulf nation again in February last year.