India’s Modi hosts UAE crown prince, inks 5 energy, nuclear agreements
The agreements were signed during Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to New Delhi.
The United Arab Emirates and India signed a series of agreements in various fields Monday, including in nuclear and other energy sectors, in a sign of further cooperation between the two countries.
A total of five agreements and memoranda of understanding were inked during Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s official visit to New Delhi, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced in a statement.
Five deals
An MoU signed between the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India includes a framework to exchange expertise in nuclear energy development, the official Emirati news agency WAM reported.
The nuclear MoU also provides a framework for the operation and maintenance of the Barakah nuclear power plant, the UAE’s first, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
The plant’s construction in Barakah, in Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra region, began in 2009. Last Thursday, the UAE announced that its fourth and final reactor began commercial operations, with an expected production of 40 terawatt-hours of electricity annually.
Another agreement for long-term liquefied natural gas supplies was signed between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Indian Oil Corporation Limited, a government-owned oil and gas company. Under the deal, ADNOC will supply the IOC from its lower-carbon Ruwais LNG project with 1 million metric tons a year for 15 years.
ADNOC also signed a framework agreement with Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Limited to expand an existing oil storage agreement — under which ADNOC exports oil to be stored in underground strategic storages in the Indian port city of Mangalore — and support India's energy security, according to WAM.
A production concession agreement for Abu Dhabi onshore Block One — a 6,162-square-kilometer block around Ruwais — was also signed between Urja Bharat and ADNOC. The agreement allows Urja Bharat to bring crude oil to India.
A fifth MoU was concluded between ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, and the state of Gujarat for the development of a major food and agriculture park that includes state-of-the-art technologies in India.
UAE, India relations
Sheikh Khaled headed to New Delhi on Monday, accompanied by several UAE ministers and a business delegation.
It was a delight to welcome HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. We had fruitful talks on a wide range of issues. His passion towards strong India-UAE friendship is clearly visible. pic.twitter.com/yoLENhjGWd
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 9, 2024
He met with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for talks on bilateral relations and ways to boost cooperation in various fields, according to WAM.
“The two leaders discussed the multifaceted Indian-Emirati relations and avenues to broaden the comprehensive strategic partnership to new and emerging areas,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X on Monday.
The UAE and India have been advancing their relations in various fields in the past years, including in trade, energy and other sectors.
Monday’s agreements were signed as part of the the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which both countries signed in February 2022 with of reaching a non-oil trade target of $100 billion by 2030.
In February, Modi paid a visit to Abu Dhabi, during which eight bilateral agreements were signed. Modi’s visit was preceded by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s trip to India in January.
