Dubai Crown Prince to embark on first official visit to India on Tuesday

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence of the UAE, will undertake a two-day official visit to India starting Tuesday, April 8.

The visit follows an invitation extended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2025.

This marks Sheikh Hamdan’s first official visit to India as the Crown Prince of Dubai. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), he will hold discussions with senior Indian officials to explore opportunities for enhancing bilateral cooperation and strengthening partnerships across various strategic sectors.

On April 8, Prime Minister Modi will host a working lunch in honour of Sheikh Hamdan. The Crown Prince is also scheduled to meet India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

On the second day of his visit, April 9, Sheikh Hamdan will travel to Mumbai. There, he is expected to take part in a business roundtable with prominent business leaders from both countries.

“Traditionally, Dubai has played an important role in India’s commercial, cultural and people-to-people exchanges with the UAE. Majority of India’s around 4.3 million diaspora in UAE reside and work in Dubai. The visit of His Highness the Crown Prince will further solidify the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and strengthen our multifaceted ties with Dubai,” read a statement issued by the MEA.

The visit underscores the deepening ties between the UAE and India, which have grown significantly in recent years.

In August 2015, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and now President of the UAE, made a landmark visit to India, followed by state visits in 2016 and 2017. He was also the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in 2017—an honour reflective of the close strategic partnership.

Prime Minister Modi visited the UAE in February 2024 to inaugurate the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, further reinforcing cultural and diplomatic ties between the two nations.

In September 2024, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also paid an official visit to India, further solidifying high-level engagement between the two nations.