Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reached UAE after conclusion of his two-day France visit, where he held meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.?

Modi was conferred with the country's highest civilian and military honour, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour.

The focus during the Modi’s UAE visit would be on the areas including energy, food security, and defence.

Modi is on a day long visit to UAE.

MEA said PM Modi also held a productive meeting with Dr Sultan Al Jaber, President-designate of COP 28 UAE and Group CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.?

In his remarks after meeting the UAE President, Modi said India-UAE trade witnessed a 20 per cent increase since the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement last year.

Modi said the agreement signed on Saturday for trade settlement in the currencies of the two countries shows the strong economic cooperation and mutual trust between the two nations.

According to PTI the UAE President said, "The manner in which ties between our countries have expanded, you have made a big contribution to that. Every person in India views you as a true friend."

The statement from MEA said Dr Jaber briefed Modi on the forthcoming COP-28.?

Modi assured India's full support for UAE’s COP-28 presidency.?

He also highlighted India’s efforts and initiatives to address climate change.?

The two nations are expected to review the progress after they inked a landmark trade agreement.

Modi said he always got the love of a brother from Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Modi will hold talks with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

India and the UAE are engaged across various sectors such as trade, investments, energy, food security, science and technology, education, fintech, defence, security, and robust people-to-people ties.

The Indian expatriate community is the largest ethnic community in UAE constituting roughly 30 per cent of the country's population. The number of resident Indian Nationals was estimated to be 3.5 million in 2021 as per the UAE records.

Earlier, during his France visit Modi had that the country is a natural ally to India.

He made the statement after holding expansive discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.

He also praised the host country—France for a grand reception.

Deepening ties between the two countries, the talks were part of Modi's visit to France and covered a vast range of topics including long-term visas, university partnerships, and the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The India-U.A.E. comprehensive strategic partnership has been steadily strengthening and the Prime Minister’s visit will be an opportunity to identify ways to take this forward in various domains such as energy, education, healthcare, food security, fintech, defence and culture,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
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