UAE FM to visit six Indian cities; focus on energy, trade ties

New Delhi: UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan will visit six Indian cities and hold talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during his week-long India tour that will focus on boosting energy and trade cooperation.

Abdullah, during his trip, starting Sunday, will visit New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) foreign minister will hold delegation-level talks with Swaraj here on Monday, after which agreements in various sectors are expected to be signed. 

During the visit, a trilateral agreement between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Saudi Arabian Oil Company, and India's Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is also expected to be inked. He will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. Abdullah will also attend an interactive session at the International Council of World Affairs and visit the Akshardham Temple here. 

The UAE foreign minister will leave on Wednesday for Ahmedabad where he will visit the Sabarmati Ashram and the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque among other engagements. From Ahmedabad, Abdullah will travel to Mumbai where he would participate in a business roundtable interaction with 10-15 selected CEO's of leading Indian companies. 

In Mumbai, an exchange of MoU between the Central Bank of United Arab Emirates and the Reserve Bank of India on cooperation concerning currency swap agreement is also expected. He will also visit Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, before heading home on June 30. 

On the last leg of his visit in Bengaluru, he will visit the Indian Space Research Organisation. The present visit would provide the two sides with the opportunity to further strengthen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the MEA had said earlier. 

Modi had visited the UAE in August 2015 when the two countries had decided to elevate their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. 

The prime minister had made another successful visit to the UAE in February. The UAE is India's third-largest trade partner and sixth-largest supplier of its energy needs.