Relationship dossier
India
United Arab Emirates
Relationship assessment
India and the United Arab Emirates sustain a close strategic, economic, and security partnership.
India toward United Arab Emirates
+70India has deepened government-to-government cooperation with the UAE through the 2015 comprehensive strategic partnership, the 2022 CEPA, and sustained engagement on energy, investment, and security. Indian authorities also cooperate with the UAE on counterterrorism and law-enforcement matters.
United Arab Emirates toward India
+70The UAE has expanded strategic and economic cooperation with India, including through the 2015 partnership upgrade and the 2022 CEPA. Emirati investment in India, energy ties, and cooperation on security and counterterrorism provide substantive support to the relationship.
Overall relationship
+70The bilateral relationship is anchored in a durable strategic partnership, expanding economic integration under CEPA, energy and investment links, and cooperation on security. High-level political engagement and substantial people-to-people connections reinforce these arrangements. The overall structure is strongly cooperative, though the governments may differ on particular regional issues.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
India and the United Arab Emirates maintain a close strategic and economic partnership, supported by sustained high-level engagement, energy ties, investment, and extensive Indian expatriate connections. The 2015 upgrade to a comprehensive strategic partnership and the 2022 Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) deepened cooperation in trade and investment. Both governments also cooperate on security and regional issues, while differences over specific regional policies do not dominate the relationship.
Key developments
India and the UAE upgraded relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UAE.
India and the UAE signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, establishing a framework to expand trade and investment.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and longer-term effects of bilateral investment and security initiatives are not fully clear.
- The extent of continuing differences over regional conflicts and foreign-policy positions is uncertain.