New Delhi [India], January 19 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally received the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan who arrived in India on Monday for an official visit.

PM Modi went to the airport to personally welcome the UAE President, highlighting the close ties between the two leaders and the strong bilateral relationship between India and the UAE.

Taking to social media platform X, the Prime Minister said, 'Went to the airport to welcome my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. His visit illustrates the importance he attaches to a strong India-UAE friendship. Looking forward to our discussions.'

PM Modi also shared pictures with UAE President including one in which both the leaders were seen inside a car. Another photograph showed the two leaders enveloped in a hug.

The UAE President will be in India for an official visit amid heightened tensions in West Asia, as US President Donald Trump seeks to onboard leaders to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the visit is on the invitation of PM Modi and builds on the strong momentum generated by recent high-level exchanges, including the visit of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in September 2024, and the visit of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE and Crown Prince of Dubai in April 2025.

The visit coincides with developments in West Asia, where Trump is on the verge of initiating Phase 2 of the Gaza Peace Plan. As part of this phase, the United States is seeking to constitute a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

According to sources, the UAE President's visit to India will be brief and is expected to last around two hours.

His talks with Prime Minister Modi are scheduled to be held in the national capital this evening.

This will be Sheikh Mohamed's third official visit to India since assuming office as President of the United Arab Emirates, and his fifth visit to the country in the past decade, reflecting the frequency and intensity of high-level engagement between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi. (ANI)