MODI CELEBRATES UAE-INDIA TIES IN ABU DHABI SPEECH
▶ Prime Minister ‘touched and honoured’ by welcome he got from President Sheikh Mohamed
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised his relationship with his “brother” President Sheikh Mohamed when he addressed a crowd of 40,000 Indian citizens in Abu Dhabi yesterday evening.
“Long live the UAE-India friendship,” said the Indian leader to rapturous applause from those gathered.
Many had arrived that morning at Zayed Sports City Stadium
to attend the Ahlan Modi community event for the Indian diaspora in the Emirates.
Mr Modi praised the crowd for uniting from different parts of the UAE – and different parts of India – and said he was “touched and honoured” by the welcome he received from Sheikh Mohamed.
“This was not a greeting for me alone but for each and every Indian. I have visited the UAE seven times and today also Sheikh Mohamed came to meet me at the airport. I’m touched and honoured,” said Mr Modi.
The Indian leader said historic ties between the nations would keep growing stronger.
“The connection between our nations is historic and it is our wish that this continues in the future,” he told the crowd.
“Keep making the bonds between the UAE and India strong – and I thank you for coming here.” Mr Modi ended his speech by telling the Abu Dhabi crowd that he wanted to “seek the blessings of people”.
Earlier yesterday, Sheikh Mohamed had received Mr Modi at the Presidential Airport, and the leaders held discussions.
“Today, I met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Abu Dhabi, where we discussed ways to advance bilateral ties across diverse fields such as economy, investment, trade, energy and technology,” Sheikh Mohamed wrote on social media. “The UAE and
India are united by our shared keenness to develop the bilateral strategic partnership to achieve further progress and build a better future for our peoples.”
Hours before Mr Modi’s appearance last night, crowds had started arriving for the event – with chants of “Modi, Modi” sounding round the stadium. There was a carnival atmosphere as the event
approached. The crowd – many wearing or with their faces painted in the colours of the Indian flag – danced and sang along with popular Bollywood songs.
A parade also kept the audience entertained while they waited for Mr Modi to arrive.
The Indian leader is on a two-day visit, in which he will also speak at Dubai’s World Governments Summit of global figures today, before inaugurating the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
Looking ahead to the inauguration of the Dh350 million temple ($95 million), Mr Modi chose to reflect on when it had been initially proposed.
“In 2015, when there was a proposal to build a temple in Abu Dhabi, [Sheikh Mohamed] agreed immediately,” Mr Modi said.
“Now, the time has come to inaugurate the temple.”
Mr Modi joins Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed
In his speech, Modi reflected on when Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple was proposed
bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the summit, which concludes today.
The three leaders lead high-level delegations from their countries.
They have been named guests of honour at the 11th annual global gathering.
They are among more than 25 world leaders and heads of state attending the summit at Madinat Jumeirah.
Mr Modi’s last official meeting with Sheikh Mohamed came last month in India’s western state of Gujarat during the three-day Vibrant Global Gujarat Summit. Sheikh Mohamed was received by Mr Modi in Ahmedabad before the summit.
They later led a 3km parade from outside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport to Gandhinagar city, 30km from Ahmedabad.