Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday introduced UPI (Unified Payment Interface) services in Abu Dhabi. The Indian Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to the Gulf nation where he is set to inaugurate the first Hindu stone temple.
Modi and the UAE President held a bilateral meeting, and several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were exchanged in their presence.
“Brother, firstly, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for your warm welcome. We have met five times in the last seven months, which is very rare. I have also got the opportunity to come here seven times… the way we have progressed in every field, there is a joint partnership between India and UAE in every field,” said PM Modi in the meeting with the UAE President.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra were among the Indian delegations present in the meeting.
Earlier, upon his arrival at airport, PM Modi was welcomed by UAE President Al Nahyan. The two leaders shook hands and hugged each other.
“Immensely grateful to my brother, HH @MohamedBinZayed, for taking the time to receive me at Abu Dhabi airport. I look forward to a productive visit which will further strength the friendship between India and UAE,” said PM Modi in a post on X.
PM Modi also received a guard of honour.
Ahead of his departure, the prime minister took to social media plaform X to post that he is looking forward to meeting with his “brother” the President of UAE with whom he shares a good rapport.
Prime Minister Modi posted on X, “Eager to meet my brother, @MohamedBinZayed. Over the next two days, I will be visiting UAE and Qatar to attend various programmes, which will deepen India’s bilateral relations with these nations.”
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal took to X, emphasising that PM Modi’s first leg of the visit in the UAE will entail engagements with UAE leadership and community members, and the inauguration of BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi.
On Monday, UPI services were rolled out in Sri Lanka and Mauritius, with PM Modi calling it as “linking historic ties with modern digital technology.” Over the past two years, many countries have started accepting payments through UPI apps.
France, UAE, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bhutan, and Nepal are the countries that accept UPI payments, according to the government.
