Why UAE-India Ties are now Stronger Than Ever
- Since Narendra Modi’s visit to UAE in 2015, there have been three more high-level visits by the leadership of the UAE and India, including his upcoming visit in February 2018
- While warm relations between the UAE and India go back centuries, diplomats and top officials say the current momentum is unprecedented, scoring high on symbolism and substance
- The recent upsurge in relations is a reminder that both the UAE and India have leapfrogged in terms of global reputation and foreign policy since 1981
- With a record 1076 flights every week between UAE and India, there has been a surge of tourists and immigrants between the two countries
- Narendra Damodardas Modi is the 16th and current Prime Minister of India, in office since May 2014
- With a 3.3-million-strong population, the Indian diaspora in the UAE is the largest in the world
- Indians constitute for more than 17% of UAE’s population
- A majority of Indians live in the three largest cities of the UAE — Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah
- UAE has experienced a tremendous increase in the population of Indians who have migrated as a result of job opportunities, largely in petroleum and finance
