India and the UAE on Tuesday agreed to boost defence ties, including possible co-development of military equipment, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, focusing on cooperation in strategic domains.

Following his meeting with Al Maktoum, Modi said the Dubai Crown Prince’s “special” visit to India paved the way for a stronger bilateral collaboration.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Modi and Al Maktoum discussed Dubai’s key role in strengthening India-UAE ties across defence, trade, technology, space and connectivity and people-to-people ties.

After his meeting with the visiting dignitary, Singh said India is eager to work closely with the Gulf nation in the defence sector, including in co-production and co-development projects.  Both India and the UAE are committed to work towards peace and prosperity in the region, he said.

The defence ministry said Singh and Al Maktoum were convinced that close collaboration between the defence industries should be an integral part of the bilateral cooperation. In a social media post, Modi said Dubai has played a key role in advancing the India-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership. Al Maktoum, also serving as deputy prime minister and defence minister of the UAE, arrived in the national capital this morning on a two-day India visit. He is travelling to Mumbai after concluding his engagements in Delhi.

“Glad to meet HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai. Dubai has played a key role in advancing the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Modi said.

“This special visit reaffirms our deep-rooted friendship and paves the way for even stronger collaboration in the future,” he said. The India-UAE bilateral ties have been on an upswing in the last few years. Following the landmark visit of Prime Minister Modi to the UAE in August 2015, bilateral relations between the two countries were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The bilateral trade and investment ties witnessed a major expansion after the two sides inked a comprehensive economic partnership agreement in 2022. Singh described his meeting with Al Maktoum as “productive”.

“Had a productive meeting with the Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy PM and Minister of Defence of UAE Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in New Delhi. For India, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the UAE is of immense priority,” he said.