The President of the United Arab Emirates has arrived on an official visit to India

This is Bin Zayed’s third official visit to India since assuming the office of President, and the fifth in the last decade – a figure that emphasizes the deepening of strategic relations between Abu Dhabi and New Delhi.

The talks between the leaders are expected to focus on strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership, with an emphasis on expanding cooperation in the fields of trade, investments, energy and technology.

According to reports in the Indian media, during the visit both sides are expected to work to promote broader multilateral initiatives, such as the I2U2 group (India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States) and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

These initiatives have not made much progress recently, mainly due to the conflict in the Middle East and the developments in the Iranian sector and the new Middle Eastern alliances. The I2U2 Forum, sometimes referred to as the “West Asia Quad”, was officially established in October 2021 and launched at the leaders’ level in July 2022.

Its main goal is to harness the technological capabilities and capital of the member states to face global challenges and promote infrastructural projects in the IMEC project six key countries partner alongside the European Union as a representative body: India, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany and Italy, who signed the founding memorandum of understanding in September 2023.

Beyond the signatory countries, the physical route of the corridor is planned to pass through Jordan and Israel (via the port of Haifa), with Greece serving as the main gateway to continental Europe via the port of Piraeus.

Beyond the Gaza issue, the meeting is taking place against the background of growing tensions with Iran and the crisis in Yemen, where there are differences of opinion between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia regarding support for local forces.

The economic relations between the countries are at a historic peak, when the volume of bilateral trade crossed the 100 billion dollar mark in the last financial year.

Cooperation is based on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and settlement mechanisms in local currencies, designed to reduce dependence on the US dollar.

Ben Zayed’s visit, which is expected to be short and focused, is intended to outline the “new boundaries” of the alliance between the tyrannical power and the fifth largest economy in the world.