The Secretary of State’s Envoy for Business and Philanthropy visits New Delhi and Mumbai to enhance economic cooperation
ABU DHABI, 18th February, 2018 (WAM) – His Excellency Badr Jaafar, Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Business and Charitable Affairs, conducted a two-day official visit to New Delhi and Mumbai, during which he held meetings and interviews with an elite group of business and philanthropic leaders, within the framework of enhancing cooperation in priority economic and social sectors.
His Excellency met with His Excellency Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Prime Minister of the state of Maharashtra, whose capital is Mumbai, whose trade volume with the UAE exceeded 21.4 billion US dollars last year.
These high-level meetings fall within the framework of the tasks of the Secretary of State’s Special Envoy for Business and Charitable Affairs, which aim to deepen cooperation with key international partners by strengthening ties between business and philanthropic leaders, and supporting cooperation between the public and private sectors, in line with the common development priorities of the two countries.
In this regard, His Excellency Badr Jaafar said: The partnership between the UAE and India is distinguished by being one of the most dynamic economic relations in the world. It is also a strategic growth platform based on solid foundations of trust, competencies and common aspirations. Indian companies see the UAE as a strategic center for the markets of the Middle East, Africa and other regions, while investors in the UAE consider India one of the most developed and attractive markets in the world, which has established the foundations for a commercial partnership that benefits the two countries and the world.
His Excellency added: Within the framework of these established trade relations lie deep human ties between the peoples of the two countries, as a large Indian community lives in the UAE, with a long history of cooperation, coexistence, and mutual growth. Indian society, with all its components, forms the pillars of this partnership, contributing to enhancing its growth and prosperity.
During the visit, His Excellency Badr Jaafar met with leaders in vital sectors, including infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, technology, logistics, energy, financial services, and consumer industries, to discuss opportunities to expand partnerships between institutions.
The meetings included conversations with officials and leaders from Tata Trusts, Aditya Birla Group, Bharti Enterprises, Godrej Enterprises Group, Piramal Group, Jindal Steel, Hero MotoCorp, InoxGFL, Parle Group, and other companies that contribute effectively to the process of economic and industrial development in India, as their combined corporate value exceeds 400 billion US dollars.
In addition to the bilateral meetings, the Special Envoy held a panel discussion during which CEOs from India’s leading philanthropic foundations, including EdelGive Foundation, Piramal Foundation, Akshaya Patra, J.K. Trust, Dasra and Hinduja Foundation, to exchange visions and experiences on developing partnerships and examining effective and innovative ways to achieve tangible social impact with realistic results.
For his part, Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), which includes more than 300,000 companies across India, said: “The partnership between the UAE and India is strong and constantly developing, and has become an exceptional model of integrated international cooperation that combines business, investment, and tangible and clear social impact. Such visits contribute to strengthening ties between the two countries and opening new and promising horizons for continued growth in the long term.
It is noteworthy that the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries exceeded 100 billion US dollars in 2025 – five years ahead of the target date – in addition to the launch of a new goal of reaching the level of 200 billion US dollars by 2032.
In recent years, the economic partnership between the UAE and India has become one of the strongest and fastest growing in the world, as the UAE is India’s third largest trading partner and the second largest destination for its exports, while India is ranked second among the UAE’s largest trading partners. In 2025, India was the largest source of foreign direct investment in new projects in the UAE, with a total of US$12.6 billion in 275 projects.
In contrast, the UAE’s investments amounted to 75 billion US dollars to support and develop infrastructure in India.
Through comprehensive economic partnership agreements, which include 35 countries so far, the UAE is consolidating its strategic position as a global hub for trade, supporting the growth of its non-oil trade, which has more than doubled in five years, as non-oil sectors today represent more than 75% of the gross domestic product.
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