India–United Arab Emirates relations is recorded in this encyclopedia from the source named below.
Overview
India–United Arab Emirates relations are the bilateral relations that exist between the Republic of India and the United Arab Emirates. Since 3000 B.C., India and the UAE, including its precursor emirates, have maintained close relations through ancient trade networks. Sumerians traded with Meluhha (Indus Valley), Magan (UAE and Oman), and Dilmun (Bahrain), connecting through the UAE. Maritime routes facilitated Arab trade with India for silk, spices, gold, and porcelain. Post-1971, India-UAE relations strengthened politically, economically, and culturally. They are both in I2U2 Group. Indians also make up the largest ethnic group in the UAE, making up roughly 38% of UAE's total residents, followed by Pakistanis. India is UAE's largest exports destination & trading partner with bilateral trade turnover of US$68.4 billion during the calendar year 2021. UAE's exports to India totaled US$43.04 billion, while India's exports to the UAE totaled US$25.4 billion. In 2022, India & UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to take bilateral trade to US$100 billion within 5 years. India and the UAE have strengthened defense cooperation since 2003, marked by joint exercises like Desert Eagle and Gulf Star-1. The Annual Defense Dialogue and high-level visits have played pivotal roles. Counter-terrorism collaboration, including successful operations against terrorists, has been a focus since 2014. Notably, in December 2020, India and the UAE thwarted a terrorist attack in Delhi. India and the UAE, since 2014, have deepened ties with various agreements. PM Modi and President Al Nahyan's rapport is highlighted. Plans include the first overseas IIT and a Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, symbolizing harmony, which was inaugurated on February 14, 2024. Commentators see the United Arab Emirates as an increasingly important partner to India.
Source and reuse
The descriptive text above is drawn from the English-language encyclopedia article India–United Arab Emirates relations, reused under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence and attributed in the sources block on this page. Figures in the infobox come from Wikidata and carry that project's own provenance; they should be checked against the cited source before being relied on.
Editorial note
This record is a sourced summary, not original research. Where the underlying material is silent on a point, this article is silent too. Last reviewed 2026-09-23.