This will mark the first foreign visit of Prime Minister Modi in 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit the UAE in the first week of January, during which he is expected to make a trip to the India pavilion at the Dubai Expo and preside over the signing of the Free Trade Agreement between India and the UAE.

This will mark the first foreign visit of Prime Minister Modi in 2022.

The India pavilion which has been so far visited by many foreign leaders including Cyprus Foreign Minister and the King of Sweden, was inaugurated by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on October 1.

The India pavilion is a massive four-floor marquee showcasing Indian culture, Yoga, Ayurveda

The model representing Ram Mandir and BAPS Hindu Temple built in Abhu Dhabi have attracted many visitors.

Prime Minister Modi, during the visit, is going to preside over the signing of the FTA with the UAE. The talks between the two countries had started in September and the third round of the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was held in December at New Delhi.

Speaking about the FTA with the UAE at an event, Piyush Goyal had said: “It will open a lot of doors for a lot of sectors. It will be the fastest FTA India has ever entered into.”

The trade between the two countries is very robust and the UAE is the second-largest export destination of India after the US with an amount of over $30 billion for the year 2018-19.

During 2018, India was the second-largest trading partner for the UAE with US$ 36 billion (non-oil trade). UAE has committed $100 billion for investment and infrastructure creation in India.

There has been increased engagement between the two countries at every level.

In the UAE, the Indian expatriate community is the largest ethnic community, constituting roughly about 30 percent of the Gulf country’s total population.