'True treasure for leadership': UAE minister on PM Modi ahead of key visit

AHead up of ground government minister Narendra Modi's see to the United arabian Emirates, UAE Minister of State for International CooperationReem Al Hashimy praised the BJP leader as a "true treasure" of leadership. Speaking to news agency ANI, Al Hashimy stated that the bilateral ties between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi are expected to elevate to a new level, especially in terms of trade and technology after Modi's visit.PM Modi is on a five-day visit to five nations, with the UAE being the first stop on May 15. After the UAE, Modi will head to the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. Italy will be the last stop for the prime minister.As per the official handout from the Ministry of External Affairs, PM Modi will meet with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the Gulf nation. During his visit, the two leaders will exchange views on bilateral issues, such as energy cooperation, and regional and international issues of mutual interest."They will also discuss ways to advance the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership underpinned by strong political, cultural, economic and people-to-people links. The visit will serve to promote the significant trade and investment linkages between the two countries," the official statement added further.Furthermore, the UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner and its seventh-largest source of investment cumulatively over the past 25 years. In addition, the UAE hosts over 4.5 million Indians.Speaking to ANI, Minister Al Hashimy emphasised the deep people-to-people ties between the UAE and India, stating that every Emirati will have some connection to India in one way or another."If I ask any Emirati, you will probably find that they have had some connection to India in one way or another. I have a few members of my family who always go to India for treatment, who rely very much on Indian knowledge of herbs, and they compare that to our own knowledge of herbs, because Emiratis also have such a strong foundational respect for traditional medicine, like you do as well," she told ANI.She added that this comes due to the trade ties between both nation."One thing for me is sure, the future cannot be without a strong India and a strong UAE. So, I look at the milestones that we have, the visit tomorrow, and likely subsequent visits of my leadership back to India, as well as important proof points of a trajectory that grows from strength to strength," she added.(With inputs from ANI)