Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, or MBZ. They discussed the ongoing war in West Asia and agreed on ensuring safe and free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
This was the second time that the two leaders spoke since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
During his telephonic conversation, Modi strongly condemned all attacks on the Gulf country and agreed with the UAE leader to continue to work together for the early restoration of peace, security and stability in West Asia.
“Spoke with my brother HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and conveyed advance Eid greetings.
“We discussed the current situation in West Asia. Reiterated India’s strong condemnation of all attacks on the UAE that have resulted in loss of innocent lives and damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.
The PM said he and the UAE President agreed on the importance of ensuring safe and free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
“We will continue to work together for the early restoration of peace, security and stability in the region,” he said.
It was on March 1 when Modi last spoke to the UAE’s ruler.
“Spoke with President of the UAE, my brother Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Strongly condemned the attacks on the UAE and condoled the loss of lives in these attacks. India stands in solidarity with the UAE in these difficult times. Thanked him for taking care of the Indian community living in the UAE. We support de-escalation, regional peace, security and stability,” Modi had said on X.
Indian expats account for 35% of UAE’s population, and form its largest ethnic community.
In January, Modi met visiting UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at his residence and agreed on a range of bilateral agreements and outcomes – from defence to space and LNG.
Since the war in West Asia broke out, the PM also spoke to a number of leaders from West Asia since the current conflict started and that include those from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Israel and Iran.
On March 2, a day after he spoke to MBZ, Prime Minister Modi held phone conversations with the rulers of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and, without naming Iran, condemned the attacks on their countries and thanked them for looking after the Indian community “in these difficult times”.
The condemnation of the attacks had signalled that has chosen to speak for the Gulf countries, India’s strong regional partners.
In recent days, the PM had spoken to Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had spoken to Iran Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi four times.
