India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
India and the UAE established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2017, upgraded from a Strategic Partnership. The bilateral relationship spans trade, energy, defence, and a large Indian diaspora community.
- India-UAE bilateral trade: approximately USD 85 billion (FY25), making UAE India's second-largest export destination and third-largest trading partner overall
- India-UAE CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement): signed February 2022, effective May 2022; India's first CEPA post-2000 era, covering goods, services, and investments
- Indian diaspora in UAE: approximately 3.5 million — the largest diaspora community in any single foreign country
- UAE is India's largest source of remittances: approximately USD 20 billion annually
- India-UAE defence cooperation: MoU on defence cooperation signed 1995, upgraded with joint exercises (Desert Eagle), maritime security cooperation, and — most recently — a defence pact against the Saudi-Pakistan axis (signed 2026)
● Tracked since April 10, 2026 · last seen May 12, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
International Relations
India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)
International Relations
India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
International Relations
India's West Asia Policy
International Relations
India's Energy Security and Import Dependence
International Relations
India's Energy Security
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