PM to inaugurate first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) beginning Tuesday during which he will hold wide-ranging talks with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and inaugurate the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. It would be the prime minister's seventh visit to the UAE since 2015, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday, announcing the trip.

Modi and Al Nahyan will discuss ways to further deepen, expand and strengthen the strategic partnership between the countries and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, it said. "The prime minister will also meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president, prime minister and defence minister of the UAE," the MEA said. "At his invitation, the prime minister will participate in the World Government Summit 2024 to be held in Dubai as the guest of honour and deliver a special keynote address at the summit," the MEA said in a statement.

It said Modi will also inaugurate the BAPS Mandir, the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, adding he will also be addressing the Indian community in the UAE at an event in Zayed Sports City. "India and UAE enjoy warm, close and multi-faceted relations underpinned by strong political, cultural and economic linkages," the MEA said.