On May 15, 2026, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United Arab Emirates at the start of a five-nation, five-day tour that also took him to the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy. This visit to Abu Dhabi occurred on short notice and underlines the Emirates’ growing strategic importance to India.
The visit came as BRICS foreign ministers met in India. That meeting produced no joint statement due to differences and a sharp exchange between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Emirati Deputy Foreign Minister Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar. Modi visited the United Arab Emirates even though the country faced continuing Iranian attacks, the ceasefire notwithstanding, and his decision to visit during such a sensitive time sent a strong message of New Delhi’s support and solidarity with Abu Dhabi.
[Modi’s] decision to visit during such a sensitive time sent a strong message of New Delhi’s support and solidarity with Abu Dhabi.
Reflecting the importance that the United Arab Emirates attaches to this partnership, Emirati F-16 fighter jets escorted Modi’s aircraft upon entering Emirati airspace. President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan personally received him at the airport, highlighting the bonhomie that the two leaders share. Modi embraced him and repeatedly referred to him as “brother” during the visit, a rare gesture that he reserves for only a few leaders. Before 2015, no Indian prime minister had visited the United Arab Emirates in more than three decades, but over the last decade, the relationship has transformed.
Although the visit lasted only around two hours, it was substantive. The agreements signed made the visit futuristic, strategic, and development-oriented. The India-Emirates relationship has expanded across multiple sectors. Among the many agreements signed, one of the most important is a framework for strategic defense cooperation, which focuses on “defense industrial collaboration and cooperation on innovation and advanced technology, training, exercises, maritime security, cyber defense, secure communications, and information exchange.”
This agreement elevates bilateral ties from transactional procurement to more structured industrial and operational collaboration and it underscores the growing military and security partnership. It also fosters joint capability development and interoperability, aligning with India’s broader objectives in the Indian Ocean Region and the Indo-Pacific. The agreement makes the partnership futuristic by highlighting the priorities and direction of cooperation in coming years. The agreement builds upon a January 2026 Letter of Intent signed during Bin Zayed’s visit to India.
Abu Dhabi views India as a long-term developmental and strategic partner and seeks to reduce its vulnerabilities in a volatile Middle East.
Another important agreement signed relates to strategic petroleum reserves and the supply of liquefied natural gas. The official statement mentioned “potential ADNOC [Abu Dhabi National Oil Company] crude oil storage in India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves, up to 30 million barrels.” It also refers to “potential storage of crude oil in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, to form part of the Indian strategic petroleum reserve” and “potential collaboration in Liquid Natural Gas and Liquid Petroleum Gas storage facilities in India.” The state-run Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company signed the agreement.
This could prove to be a landmark arrangement. It will help strengthen India’s energy security, supply resilience, and strategic flexibility, especially given that India depends heavily on imported energy supplies. This arrangement could substantially increase India’s strategic crude reserve capacity. The Emirates has also announced plans to invest nearly $500 billion across different sectors, once again reinforcing the depth of the partnership and the future priorities of bilateral cooperation.
The nature of these agreements makes it clear that Abu Dhabi views India as a long-term developmental and strategic partner and seeks to reduce its vulnerabilities in a volatile Middle East through deeper cooperation with New Delhi.
For New Delhi, as well, a close partnership with Abu Dhabi provides greater strategic options and creates opportunities for India to play a larger, more active role in the region. New Delhi is no longer a distant power to the Middle East. India is ending its traditional defensive diplomatic posture and becoming an active stakeholder that can influence outcomes itself.
