UAE media hails PM Narendra Modi's visit to the Gulf nation

Twitter/@IndembAbuDhabi

ABU DHABI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first-ever Indian premier to visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is not lost on the West Asian nation, given the way the UAE media have covered the event. From full-page advertisements to interviews of the Prime Minister, the newspapers seem to have made it clear that this is the biggest story of the day, with some even calling it 'historic'. 

UAE's oldest English language daily, Khaleej Times on Saturday published a full-page ad on its first page welcoming the Prime Minister. The daily published a story with headline - 'Old friends to boost ties'. The news report speaks about the ties between the two countries which are likely to be bolstered with this visit. "A new era in UAE-India ties will begin when 14 agreements are signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second state visit beginning today. Agreements are expected to be inked in space technology, skills development and finance, during the two-day visit," the report read.

Abu Dhabi: Newspapers in UAE heralding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to UAE, later today. pic.twitter.com/y5jMoCjn1r

— ANI (@ANI) February 10, 2018

Another newspaper, The National, speaks about the naval exercises that India is due to start on the shores on Abu Dhabi next month. "We're trying today to revive that historical connection between our countries. The kind of conversations we are having in defence or security today would perhaps have been unimaginable a few years back and there’s a level of confidence in our leadership to say how we can learn from each other in countering violent extremism and radicalisation," The National quoted Navdeep Suri, Indian ambassador to the UAE, as saying.

Gulf News' hub editor Chiranjib Sengupta, who had joined a UAE media delegation on a brief tour of India this week, called Modi's visit 'historic' in one of his articles, considering it is his second visit to the UAE. Also, because this is the first time an Indian Prime Minister will visit Palestine.

News Xpress published a detailed interview of PM Modi. It headlined it as 'Today is my favourite day: Narendra Modi'. "The UAE is home to over three million people of Indian origin. The Indian community has acted as a bridge between the two countries and I hope my visit will further strengthen these ties," read an excerpt from Modi’s interview.

PM Modi is on a four-day visit to three West Asian countries - the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Palestine. He is set to reach Abu Dhabi at 5 pm. He will hold a one-to-one meeting with the Crown Prince of  Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The meeting will take place at the Presidential Palace. After signing of agreements, the Prime Minister will attend a banquet dinner hosted by the Crown Prince.