PM, UAE crown prince vow to strengthen ties

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday agreed to enhance defence and Coast Guard cooperation, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan explored ways to bolster bilateral ties in key areas such as trade, technology and connectivity.

- Rezaul H Laskar and Rahul Singh

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed AI Maktoum, who is the deputy prime minister and defence minister of the UAE, is on his first official visit to India as the crown prince. His delegation includes several ministers and top business leaders, and he will also go to Mumbai for business meetings.

Dubai, one of the seven emirates in the UAE, has played a "key role in advancing the IndiaUAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" and Sheikh Hamdan's "special visit reaffirms our deep-rooted friendship and paves the way for even stronger collaboration in the future", Modi said in a social media post after meeting the crown prince.

Modi and Sheikh Hamdan discussed Dubai's role in strengthening India-UAE ties across defence, trade, technology, space, connectivity and people-to-people ties, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media.

Sheikh Hamdan said on social media his conversation with Modi "reaffirmed the strength of UAE-India ties which is built on trust, shaped by history, and driven by a shared vision to create a future full of opportunity, innovation and lasting prosperity".