Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a six-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy to further deepen India’s bilateral ties amid the ongoing geopolitical upheavals. PM Modi’s first destination will be the UAE, where he will meet President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with an aim to advance the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and exchange views on the West Asia conflict.Why is PM Modi’s visit to UAE important? | WorldviewThe key focus of Mr. Modi’s trip to the UAE will be to enhance India’s energy security, authoritative sources said.The visit comes days after the UAE announced quitting the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC, a major grouping of the world’s top oil exporters.Follow for LIVE updatesMay 15, 2026 09:52 PM Modi's visit to UAE will be very significant in backdrop of West Asia situation: Former envoyPrime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Arab Emirates is “very significant”, coming in the backdrop of what is happening in West Asia, former Indian Ambassador to the UAE Sanjay Sudhir has said, noting that it is a strong symbol of support.In an interview with ANI, Sanjay Sudhir also spoke about expectations from the visit in terms of boosting India’s energy security and likely talks for augmenting supplies of LPG and LNG.He also spoke about the UAE planning to expand its crude production to 5 million barrels a day by 2027, following its decision to quit OPEC and the likelihood of Indian companies talking to those in the Gulf country for long-term contracts.-ANIMay 15, 2026 09:11 PM Modi embarks on six-day visit to UAE, 4 European nationsMay 15, 2026 08:40 "If I ask any Emirati, you will probably find that they have had some connection to India": UAE MinisterUAE Minister Reem Al Hashimy has emphasised the deep people-to-people contacts between her country and India, saying every Emirati probably will have “some connection with India” one way or the other.In an interview with ANI ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, she said trade between India and the UAE has been a significant part of the relationship, whether it is in terms of clothes or spices the future cannot be without a strong India and a strong UAE.She also spoke of respect in the two countries for traditional medicine knowledge and of bilateral ties going from strength to strength.“If I ask any Emirati, you will probably find that they have had some connection to India in one way or another. I have a few members of my family who always go to India for treatment, who rely very much on Indian knowledge of herbs, and they compare that to our own knowledge of herbs, because Emiratis also have such a strong foundational respect for traditional medicine, like you do as well,” she said.-ANIMay 15, 2026 08:25 India, UAE set to ink energy pacts on LPG and strategic oil reservesIndia and the United Arab Emirates are expected to firm up two significant agreements to boost cooperation in areas of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and strategic petroleum reserves during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Gulf nation on May 15, authoritative sources said on Wednesday (May 13, 2026).The key focus of Mr. Modi’s trip to the UAE will be to enhance India’s energy security, they said.The Prime Minister will be in the Gulf nation for around four hours before embarking on a five-day four-nation tour of Europe.The visit comes days after the UAE announced quitting the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC, a major grouping of the world’s top oil exporters.-PTIMay 15, 2026 08:23 PM Modi to embark on 5-nation trip to UAE and 4 European countriesPrime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a six-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy beginning shortly to further deepen India’s bilateral ties amid the ongoing geopolitical upheavals.PM Modi’s first destination will be the UAE, where he will meet President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with an aim to advance the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and exchange views on the West Asia conflict.“The two leaders will have the opportunity to exchange views on bilateral issues, in particular energy cooperation, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest,” t­he Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday (May 11, 2026).It said the visit will serve to promote the significant trade and investment linkages between the two countries.-PTI Published - May 15, 2026 08:21 am IST