On Wednesday (10th January), Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 in Gandhinagar. PM Modi welcomed United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the chief guest of the event.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala, Mozambique President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of Timor-Leste José Ramos-Horta, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat at… pic.twitter.com/nhSlEPXcgD
— ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2024
As the UAE President arrived in Gujarat on Tuesday (9th January), Prime Minister Modi gave him a grand welcome calling Sheikh Nahyan his “brother”. The UAE President was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour upon his arrival.
“Welcome to India my brother, HH @MohamedBinZayed. It’s an honour to have you visit us,” PM Modi wrote on X as he shared some pictures of him welcoming the UAE President.
Welcome to India my brother, HH @MohamedBinZayed. It’s an honour to have you visit us. pic.twitter.com/Oj7zslR5oq
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 9, 2024
The images captured the camaraderie between the two leaders. The photos showed the two leaders hugging and holding each other’s hands at the airport. One of the pictures captured the two leaders conversing, following the guard of honour to the visiting dignitary.
Taking to X, President Nahyan shared pictures from his Gujarat visit and said that his visit aims at further cementing the strong ties between India and the UAE. He added that his talks with PM Modi focused on ways to further collaboration to boost economic growth and sustainable development for the benefit of the Indian as well as UAE citizens.
“Today I met with Indian Prime Minister @narendramodi in Ahmedabad to further cement the strong ties that unite our two nations. The partnership between India and the UAE continues to flourish and our talks today explored ways to boost collaboration that will support economic growth and sustainable development for the benefit of our people,” the UAE President posted.
Today I met with Indian Prime Minister @narendramodi in Ahmedabad to further cement the strong ties that unite our two nations. The partnership between India and the UAE continues to flourish and our talks today explored ways to boost collaboration that will support economic… pic.twitter.com/udGMeV5Wom
— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) January 9, 2024
The people of Ahmedabad gave a warm and rousing welcome to the UAE President on Tuesday (9th January) as the two leaders held a grand roadshow in the city.
The people of Ahmedabad gave a warm welcome to HH @MohamedBinZayed. pic.twitter.com/vo1uCUL3CI
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 9, 2024
During the ongoing Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Ahmedabad, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan addressed the event today saying words of appreciation for host India before leaving to attend some emergency.
Speaking at the Summit, Group Chairman and CEO of Emirati multinational logistics company DP World, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said, “…DP World is planning in the next 3 years to invest in addition to that $3 billion. We will continue to support Gujarat’s economy by building state of the art container terminal at Kandla Port with a capacity of 2 million containers. Looking ahead, we foresee deeper trade, employment and cultural collaboration between India and the UAE. DP World has signed a strategic MoU with the Government of Gujarat on the sideline of the Summit which reiterates our commitment to the state of Gujarat and India. We are proud to partner with the government for the development of India’s logistics sector and we will continue to support the manufacturing industries of Gujarat and the rest of India to make India goods globally competitive and accessible…”
#WATCH | Group Chairman and CEO of Emirati multinational logistics company DP World, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem says, "…DP World is planning in the next 3 years to invest in addition to that $3 billion. We will continue to support Gujarat's economy by building state of the art… pic.twitter.com/IwWCiqCUQO
— ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2024
Earlier in the day, PM Modi met with the heads of state/government including UAE Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala, Mozambique President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, and Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat posed for a group photograph.
Notably, bilateral relations between India and the UAE have strengthened in the recent past. PM Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the UAE in 34 years in 2015. In 2017, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day festivities in New Delhi.
It is also worth recalling that Prime Minister Modi was conferred with the Order of Zayed, the UAE’s highest civilian honour, in August 2019. PM Modi’s visits to the UAE in 2022 and 2023 resulted in joint statements on an array of global issues. Last September, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India for the G20 summit.
About Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit
The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, started in 2003 by then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi, has emerged as a key global forum for business collaboration, knowledge sharing, and strategic partnerships for inclusive growth and sustainable development.
The tenth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is taking place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from January 10 to 12, 2024. According to an official press release, the theme of the event is ‘Gateway to the Future’. This Tenth Edition of the Summit will celebrate “20 Years of Vibrant Gujarat as the Summit of Success”.
This year’s Summit has 34 Partner countries and 16 Partner organisations. Furthermore, the North-Eastern Development Ministry will use the Vibrant Gujarat platform to showcase investment opportunities in the North-Eastern regions.
The Summit will host seminars and conferences on global topics such as Industry 4.0, Technology and Innovation, Sustainable Manufacturing, Green Hydrogen, Electric Mobility and Renewable Energy, and Transition to Sustainability.
Companies will showcase products made with world-class, cutting-edge technology at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show. The Trade Show’s focus sectors include e-mobility, start-ups, MSMEs, blue economy, green energy, and smart infrastructure.
