UAE honours PM Narendra Modi with the `Order of Zayed’
04 Apr 2019
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the United Arab Emirates’s highest civilian decoration, the Order of Zayed, in recognition of the "pivotal role" he played in strengthening ties between the two nations.
UAE’s highest civilian decoration, the Order of Zayed, is awarded to those who contribute to international leadership in strengthening relations with the country.
“We have historical and comprehensive strategic ties with India, reinforced by the pivotal role of my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who gave these relations a big boost. In appreciation of his efforts, the UAE President grants him the Zayed Medal,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, announced on Twitter.
“As an International statesman, he (PM Modi) has given a new direction to this (ties with the UAE) relation and today India’s relations with whole Islamic world is at its best,” a statement said.
Expressing her gratitude, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said that UAE has not only honoured the Prime Minister but also the country and its people.
“I am extremely happy to welcome the announcement of Order of Zayed for a great son of India Prime Minister @narendramodi by His Highness @MohamedBinZayed.
"This is in recognition of Prime Minister’s stellar role in ushering in a new era of strategic partnership with UAE and the best ever relations with the Islamic world," she tweeted.
On behalf of the people of India, I express our deep sense of gratitude to His Highness the President, His Highness the Crown Prince of UAE for this great honour. With this, you have honoured India and the people of India. /3 @MohamedBinZayed @narendramodi.
India and the UAE share warm relations that received impetus after Prime Minister Modi paid a visit to the nation in 2015, according to the ministry of external affairs.
The Crown Prince visited India in 2017 as the Chief Guest for Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, while UAE is one of the few countries Prime Minister Modi has visited twice.
"The State visit of the Prime Minister (Modi) to UAE on February 10-11, 2018, helped in sustaining the momentum generated by earlier visits of Crown Prince in 2017 and 2016 and that of PM in 2015," MEA stated.
"India-UAE commercial relations are anchored by energy cooperation, trade, investments by UAE in India and investments & businesses driven by Indian expatriates in UAE," the ministry added.
UAE accounts for 8 per cent of India's oil imports and is the fifth largest supplier of crude oil to India. The country is also a part of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), which is headquartered in Gurugram, India.
India-UAE trade stood at about $50 billion in 2017, making India the second largest trading partner of UAE, while UAE is India's third largest trading partner (after China and the US). UAE is also India's second largest export destination, accounting for over $31 billion for the year 2016-17.
Among the past recipients of this award are Russian president Vladimir Putin, former US president George W Bush, French leader Nicolas Sarkozy and German politician Angela Merkel.
