India–UAE Ties Get AI Boost as Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Visits
PM Modi, Sheikh Khaled Review CEPA Gains, Tech and Investment Roadmap
- Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi attends AI Impact Summit in Delhi
- PM Modi, Sheikh Khaled reaffirm Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
- CEPA completes four years with strong trade and investment growth
- Health MoU, AI supercomputer cluster and GIFT City insurance office announced
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 20th Feb: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is on an official visit to India from February 18–19, 2026, to participate in the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. This marks his second official visit to India, following his trip in September 2024.
On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with the Crown Prince, reaffirming the strength of the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, anchored in robust political, cultural, commercial, energy and people-to-people ties.
CEPA at Four: Trade and Investment Surge
The leaders noted that February 18 marked four years since the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), during which bilateral trade and investment have recorded remarkable growth. They welcomed strong two-way investment flows and encouraged UAE Sovereign Wealth Funds to continue expanding their footprint in India.
Both sides also acknowledged the potential of L’Imad, the UAE’s newest sovereign fund, to further strengthen the economic partnership.
Focus on Strategic and Emerging Sectors
The discussions covered collaboration in defence, security, education, cultural cooperation and emerging sectors such as space, nuclear energy, technology and innovation. AI and advanced technologies were highlighted as core pillars of the evolving bilateral relationship.
Three key initiatives were welcomed during the visit:
- Health Cooperation MoU: A Memorandum of Understanding between India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention to boost cooperation in professional exchanges, research, digital health, pharmaceuticals and modern medical technologies.
- AI Supercomputer Deployment: Finalisation of a term sheet between the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), G42 and Mohamed Bin Zayed University of AI for deploying a supercomputer cluster in India under the AI India Mission, accessible to both public and private sectors.
- GIFT City Expansion: Establishment of an office of Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company in Gujarat’s GIFT City, strengthening financial sector linkages.
His Highness congratulated Prime Minister Modi on the success of the AI Impact Summit. The Prime Minister welcomed Switzerland’s initiative to host the next AI Summit, to be followed by the UAE.
The visit reaffirmed regular high-level engagement between the two nations and underscored their shared commitment to elevating technology, innovation and AI as central drivers of India–UAE cooperation.
