Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of UAE will be on a two-day visit to India starting April 8 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced.
This would be Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s first official visit to India as the Crown Prince of Dubai and he will be accompanied by several ministers, senior government officials and a high-level business delegation.
PM Modi will host a working lunch for the visiting dignitary on Tuesday and the Crown Prince is also scheduled to hold meetings with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
After Delhi, the Crown Prince will visit Mumbai and will also participate in a business roundtable with prominent business leaders from both sides. The interaction will strengthen India–UAE economic and commercial cooperation across traditional and futuristic areas.
“Traditionally, Dubai has played an important role in India’s commercial, cultural and people-to-people exchanges with the UAE. Majority of India’s around 4.3 million diaspora in UAE reside and work in Dubai. The visit of His Highness the Crown Prince will further solidify the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and strengthen our multifaceted ties with Dubai,” read a statement issued by the MEA.
Foreign Minister Jaishankar had extended Prime Minister’s invitation to the Crown Prince to visit India at an early date during his visit to the United Arab Emirates on January 27-29, this year.
“Delighted to meet Crown Prince of Dubai and DPM and Minister of Defence of UAE HH Hamdan Mohammed. A warm conversation on our deep bonds of friendship and taking them forward for the good of our people,” the EAM had posted on X after the meeting which strengthened further India’s strong and ever-growing economic and people-to-people ties with Dubai.
