Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on his third visit to the UAE when he lands in Abu Dhabi from Paris on Friday night.

According to an official from the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, all the main events will take place on Saturday. The sequence of events shall be held at the Emirates Palace and the Presidential Palace.

On Saturday, Modi will ceremonially receive the UAE’s highest civil honour, the ‘Order of Zayed’. A commemorative stamp of Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his 150^th birth anniversary will be released, and the arrangements for the launch of the RuPay Card and memorandum of understanding will be signed. Modi will also hold talks with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

“There will be delegation-level talks, which will be followed with a banquet,” the official said.

This is the first time that an Indian leader was given the ‘Order of Zayed’ recognition. And the Indian government sees it as something of ‘special significance’.

Raveesh Kumar, the spokesman of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said in a statement: “The award in the name of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE, acquires special significance as it was awarded to Prime Minister Modi in the Year of Tolerance.”

He recalled that Modi has officially conferred the ‘Order of Zayed’ in April this year, in recognition of his initiatives that gave “a big boost to bilateral relations between the two countries”.

With a robust flow of investments and an annual bilateral trade of about $60 billion, Modi’s latest visit “would further strengthen India’s friendly bilateral ties with the UAE”, Kumar’s statement added.

The Indian prime minister will then leave for his first visit to Bahrain, where he will take part in a public meeting.

‘Golden era’ of bilateral ties

The Indian community is excited about the third UAE visit of the Indian prime minister. Yusuffali M.A., chairman and managing director of LuLu Group, termed the present phase as the ‘golden era’ of the bilateral trade relationship, which is visible in sectors like oil, trade, infrastructure development, tourism and aviation.

“As India is marching towards its ambitious goal of becoming a five-trillion economy, the UAE will play a key role in this, thanks to existing trade ties, close proximity, large Indian diaspora and, above all, the personal and warm friendship between the leaderships of both nations.”

Mahaveer Gupta, deputy general manager of Bank of Baroda Abu Dhabi, said the arrangements for RuPay card were in full swing.

“The process is ongoing. The Indian Embassy is coordinating with our bank and others. We are set to have a tie-up in India. The highlight of this card is that it is launched and managed by the National Payments Corporation of India and the Indian government. This is the difference between RuPay and other cards, which are dominated by Visa and Mastercard.”

Jayesh Masand, a community leader and businessman from Al Ain, is looking forward to the developments this weekend. “With PM Modi being here for the third time and about to receive the Zayed medal, this is not only a proud moment for us living in the UAE but for all those Indians residing all over the world. It is the epitome of where the bilateral relations are right now.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Adeeb Ahamed, managing director of LuLu Financial Group and Twenty14 Holdings, felt the visit would further enhance economic, socio-cultural and political ties.

“We are truly blessed to be a part of the prolific UAE-India growth story, and we look forward to having a truly fruitful visit by PM Modi. We are confident this visit will provide further momentum to increase trade and investment on both sides.”