PM Modi arrives in Abu Dhabi, hugs UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday received a grand welcome by United Arab Emirates president Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he arrived in Abu Dhabi.

The two leaders were seen hugging each other in a video shared by news agency PTI. Earlier, the prime minister received a Guard of Honour upon his arrival.

PM Modi is on a two-day visit to the Gulf nation. He will hold wide-ranging talks with the Gulf nation's top leaders to take forward the bilateral strategic partnership and inaugurate the first Hindu stone temple. This is PM Modi's seventh visit to the UAE since 2015.

"Over the last nine years, our cooperation with UAE in diverse sectors such as trade and investment, defence and security, food and energy security and education has grown manifold. Our cultural and people-to-people connect is stronger than ever," the prime minister had said in a statement prior to his departure for the UAE.

"I look forward to meeting Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE, in Abu Dhabi and holding wide-ranging discussions on taking forward our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," Modi said.

The highlight of PM Modi's visit will be the inauguration of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir, the first Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi.

“I will also inaugurate the first Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi. The BAPS temple will be an enduring tribute to the values of harmony, peace and tolerance, which both India and the UAE share,” PM Modi had said.

The temple is located in Abu Mureikhah near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway. It has come up on around 27 acres of land in Abu Dhabi and the work for the structure has been going on since 2019. The land for the temple was donated by the UAE government.

The UAE has three other Hindu temples that are located in Dubai. The BAPS temple, spread over a large area with stone architecture, will be the largest of all in the Gulf region.