Calling UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan his “brother” and praising him for being a good friend and well-wisher of the Indian community, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the two leaders and the two countries share a strong bond that is getting even stronger. 

Addressing a mega diaspora event, ‘Alhan Modi’, in Abu Dhabi after holding bilateral talks with the UAE president, Narendra Modi recalled his first visit to the UAE in 2015, a year after he became the Prime Minister. 

“That was the first visit by an Indian PM to the UAE in 30 years. It hadn’t been too long since I became a part of the central government, even the world of diplomacy was new to me. Then Crown Prince and now President Al Nahyan had come to receive me at the airport with his five brothers. That affection and the glow in their eyes is something I can never forget,” PM Modi said in Hindi at the event, where the UAE president was also present.

“During that first meeting itself, I felt that I had come to the home of someone close to me. Even he was welcoming me like a family member. But that welcome wasn’t for me alone, it was for 140 crore Indians… In 10 years, this is my seventh visit to the UAE and brother Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed came to receive me at the airport today. The affection and warmth were the same. This is what makes him special,” he added.

Pointing out that India also had the pleasure of welcoming Mr Al Nahyan four times, PM Modi said it is rare to see a leader who cares for Indians in his country the way the UAE president does.

“It was also my privilege that I was awarded UAE’s highest civilian honour, the Order of Zayed,” the PM said, adding amid chants of “Modi, Modi” that it honoured not just him but crores of Indians. 

Stressing that ties between India and the UAE were getting stronger, the PM said, “Brother bin Zayed has played a big role in this. When, during Covid, I told him we were thinking of bringing Indians back, he asked me not to worry… And I did not have to worry. I see his love for all of you.”