Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the BAPS mandir, the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, during his two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) starting February 13, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said here on Saturday.

Giving details of Prime Minister Modi’s schedule, MEA said this will be his seventh visit to the UAE since 2015 and the third in the last eight months.

During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral meetings with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE. The two leaders will discuss ways to further deepen, expand and strengthen the strategic partnership between the countries and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Prime Minister will also meet with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Defence Minister of UAE. At his invitation, Prime Minister will participate in the World Government Summit 2024 to be held in Dubai as Guest of Honour and deliver a special keynote address at the Summit.

The MEA statement said Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the BAPS Mandir, the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. He will also be addressing the Indian community in the UAE at an event in Zayed Sports city in Abu Dhabi.

India and UAE enjoy warm, close and multi-faceted relations underpinned by strong political, cultural and economic linkages. Following the landmark visit of Prime Minister Modi to UAE in August 2015, bilateral relations between the two countries been elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Both countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in February 2022 and a Local Currency Settlement (LCS) System in July 2023 to promote the use of Indian Rupee and AED for cross-border transactions.

The two countries are among each other’s top trading partners with a bilateral trade of about US$ 85 billion in 2022-23.

UAE is also among the top 4 investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments in 2022-23.

About 3.5 million strong and vibrant Indian community forms the largest expatriate group in UAE.

Their positive and well-appreciated contribution in the development of their host country has been an important anchor of our excellent bilateral engagement with the UAE.