Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been honoured with the UAE’s highest civilian award to appreciate his effort to boost bilateral ties between the two regions, reported The Times of India.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Queen Elizabeth II and Chinese President Xi Jinping have previously been honoured with this award.
“The award in the name of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, acquires special significance as it was awarded to Prime Minister Modi in the year of the birth centenary of Sheikh Zayed,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement ahead of Modi’s visit.
“A 3.3 million-strong vibrant Indian community in the UAE nourishes the vibrant people-to-people contacts between our two friendly countries,” the MEA statement read. It also added that Modi’s visit would further strengthen ties between the two nations.
UAE’s stand on Kashmir gives India-UAE friendship a new boost
After the government of India decided to abrogated Article 370 and Article 35 A from Jammu and Kashmir, UAE was one of the first nations to come to India’s support. UAE categorically stated that Kashmir is India’s internal matter and hence its right to change the dynamics of Kashmir must be acknowledged.
Twitter Image – PMO
This statement wreaked Pakistan’s hopes of finding support from UAE and other Islamic nations in the region. The UAE being one of the most powerful nations in the Arab Block firmly backed Indian move in Kashmir while other Arab nations firmly stood their ground (against criticising India) which antagonized Pakistan.
