Abu Dhabi Crown Prince to be R-Day chief guest

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be visiting India from January 24 to 26 during which he will attend the Republic Day celebrations as chief guest, the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday.

He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Ministers, senior officials and captains of industry, the ministry said in a statement.

During the course of the visit, Sheikh Mohamed will hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral, regional and global issues of common interest.

The visiting dignitary will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari.

This is the second visit of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi to India since February 2016.

"Following the landmark visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UAE in August 2015, the two countries have agreed to elevate the mutually beneficial relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership," the ministry statement said.

Bilateral trade between India and the UAE stood at about $50 billion in 2015-16.

The Gulf nation is among the top investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments and was the fifth largest supplier of crude oil to India in 2015-16.

At 2.6 million, Indians form the largest expatriate group in the UAE.

--IANS

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