Abu Dhabi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was honoured with the ‘Order of Zayed’, the UAE’s highest civilian award, on Saturday as a mark of appreciation for his efforts to boost bilateral ties between the two nations.
The visit and the award came at a convenient time for the Indian government to demonstrate that it continues to have goodwill in the Arab world despite the change of Kashmir’s constitutional status and bifurcating it into two separate Union Territories.
The UAE had been one of the first countries to react after Article 370 of the Indian constitution was de-operationalised by the Indian parliament. Supporting New Delhi’s position, UAE ambassador, Ahmad Al Banna had described the move as an “internal matter” of India.
Three days later on August 8, UAE foreign minister Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash issued a formal statement that it was “monitoring concern the developments in Jammu and Kashmir, and is calling for all parties in the conflict to exercise restraint”. Gargash also urged for both countries “to use dialogue for maintaining peace, security and stability in the region”.
On August 12, Pakistan foreign minister S.M. Qureshi told the media that even “guardians of Ummah (Islamic community)” might also not back Pakistan on the Kashmir issue due to their economic interest. He took no names of any countries while speaking to the media.
“Different people in the world have their own interests. India is a market of (over) billion people…A lot of people have invested there (India). We often talks about Ummah and Islam but the guardians of Ummah have also made investments there (India) and they have their own interests,” he said.
The Zayed medal has earlier been bestowed on several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Queen Elizabeth II and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“The award in the name of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, acquires special significance as it was awarded to Prime Minister Modi in the year of the birth centenary of Sheikh Zayed,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement ahead of his visit.
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“India and the UAE enjoy warm, close and multi-faceted relations underpinned by cultural, religious and economic linkages which, during the prime minister’s previous visit to the UAE in August 2015, stood elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership,” it said.
The UAE had announced in April that it would confer the country’s highest award on Modi.
In a tweet in April, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said, “We have historical and comprehensive strategic ties with India, reinforced by the pivotal role of my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who gave these relations a big boost.”
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With an annual bilateral trade of about $60 billion, the UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner. It is also the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil to India.
“A 3.3 million-strong vibrant Indian community in the UAE nourishes the vibrant people-to-people contacts between our two friendly countries,” the MEA said, adding that Modi’s visit would further strengthen the friendly bilateral ties.