PM holds series of bilateral meetings, hails India-UAE ties as ‘symbol of stability’

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Saeed bin Mubarak Al Hajeri, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, China's President Xi Jinping, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed pose for a photo during the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, September 12, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday (September 12, 2026), after a meeting with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) , that strong ties between India and the UAE are a sign of stability during “a time of uncertainty” in the West Asian region.

Mr. Modi also held bilateral meetings with the Prime Ministers of Ethiopia , Vietnam and Malaysia on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

The visit of Sheikh Khaled, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, has been seen as a tactical move by the UAE amid the conflict in West Asia , in which the Gulf country and fellow BRICS member Iran have found themselves on opposing sides. A joint declaration by BRICS members could be reached only after overcoming the opposing perspectives of both countrues.

“India-UAE ties have been transformed over the last few years. Now, we are raising our ambitions even higher,” said Prime Minister Modi after the meeting, adding that the discussion covered matters like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor project. “At a time of uncertainty in West Asia, a strong India-UAE is a symbol of stability, prosperity and peace,” he said.

The External Affairs Ministry (MEA) said in a statement that the two leaders discussed major investment opportunities in India. “The leaders acknowledged the important role that L’Imad, the UAE’s newest sovereign investment fund, could play in further deepening the India-UAE partnership for mutual benefit,” the Ministry said. According to the Ministry, the discussion also covered cooperation in areas like defence, space, nuclear energy, technology and innovation.

The meeting also reviewed the announcement by the UAE’s International Holding Company that it would invest $11.5 billion in the integrated greenfield aluminium project in Odisha. The project is expected to position Odisha as a global aluminium manufacturing hub and provide employment opportunities to a large number of industrial workers.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Modi also held discussions with Abiy Ahmed Ali, the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. According to the MEA, the talks were aimed at further strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership and the two leaders “reviewed progress across key sectors, including economic cooperation, defence and security partnership, and capacity building”.