Written by Divya ANew Delhi | January 19, 2026 06:15 AM IST 3 min readPM Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on July 15, 2023. (PTI file)United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed will pay a visit to New Delhi on Monday, aiming to strengthen bilateral ties and explore strategic partnership opportunities. During the day-long visit, he will discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit comes amid UAE’s standoff with Saudi Arabia in Yemen, as the former allies are now backing rival groups there.This will be his third official visit to India since assuming office as President of the UAE, and his fifth visit to India over the past decade. New Delhi shares close ties with both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi as the Gulf neighbours are now competing for influence across West Asia and Africa, with Yemen emerging as the most volatile flashpoint.Tensions rose in December 2025 when UAE-backed forces launched an offensive to seize oil-rich provinces, at times fighting Saudi-backed units. The situation escalated further when Saudi-led airstrikes hit a UAE shipment at Mukalla port, prompting Abu Dhabi to announce a withdrawal from Yemen. Earlier this month, Saudi deployed naval forces off Yemen’s coast after Riyadh-backed troops began what they called a “peaceful” ground offensive against UAE-backed separatists.Announcing UAE President’s visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement on Sunday said: “The visit builds on the strong momentum generated by recent high-level exchanges, including the visit of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in September 2024, and the visit of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy PM and Minister of Defence of the UAE, in April 2025,” the MEA said. India and the UAE share warm, close, and multi-faceted relations, underpinned by strong political, cultural, and economic ties, it added.The two countries are among each other’s top trading and investment partners, bolstered by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the Local Currency Settlement (LCS) system, and the Bilateral Investment Treaty. India and the UAE also enjoy a robust energy partnership, including long-term energy supply arrangements, the MEA said.India-UAE trade, driven by CEPA, is robust, exceeding $100 billion in FY2024-25, making UAE India’s third-largest partner and second-largest export destination. Key Indian exports include jewellery, refined petroleum, electronics and agricultural products, while India imports significant crude oil, gold, and diamonds, with ongoing efforts to boost non-oil trade further.“The visit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to chart new frontiers for the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. It will also enable an exchange of views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, where India and the UAE share a high degree of convergence,” the statement said.Story continues below this adThe UAE has recently welcomed the launch of the second phase of the comprehensive Gaza peace plan and the announcement by US President Donald Trump of the “Board of Peace” as an important framework supporting efforts to consolidate stability and advance the political process.Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Narendra Modi