Diplomacy

Prime Minister Modi will meet UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during the first leg of his five-nation tour covering the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy from May 15 to 20. The Ministry of External Affairs has said the two leaders will exchange views on bilateral issues, especially energy cooperation, along with regional and international developments. The UAE remains one of India’s most important Gulf partners, with strong ties in trade, investment, energy and the Indian diaspora.

At the centre of the discussions was a shared concern: modern economic power now depends on trusted supply chains for minerals, chips, telecom systems, artificial intelligence, clean energy equipment and advanced manufacturing. The MEA said both sides discussed industrial and technological collaboration in five major sectors — critical minerals, semiconductors, ICT including AI and telecom, clean energy and pharmaceuticals — and agreed on the need for stronger public-private partnerships to protect economic interests and build resilient supply chains.

The proposed Thoothukudi Greenfield Shipyard is envisaged as a world-class shipbuilding facility with an annual capacity of 2.5 million Gross Tonnage. The project is expected to generate around 15,000 direct jobs once operations stabilise, apart from creating substantial indirect employment across Tamil Nadu and neighbouring regions.

The agreement was signed in December 2025 and is designed to deepen economic cooperation between the two countries through market access, tariff reduction, services trade, investment, professional mobility and regulatory collaboration. Official details released after the signing described the CEPA as a major milestone in India’s strategic engagement with the Gulf region.