India's Modi visits UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, just weeks after a top official's remarks about the Prophet Mohammed set off anger in the Persian Gulf.
Modi shared an embrace with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who met the Indian leader at Abu Dhabi airport, according to a tweet by India's foreign ministry spokesperson.
"I am touched by the special gesture of my brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, of coming to welcome me at Abu Dhabi airport. My gratitude to him," Modi tweeted.
The one-day visit by Modi, who is heading back to India after attending the G7 summit in Germany, follows protests by Persian Gulf states earlier this month after a spokesperson for his party made disparaging remarks about the Prophet Mohammed on TV.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia condemned the comments, while Qatar and Kuwait summoned their Indian ambassadors. One Kuwaiti supermarket took Indian goods off its shelves.
Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party suspended spokesperson Nupur Sharma over her comments describing the Prophet Mohammed's relationship with his youngest wife.
The remarks were also blamed for clashes in India and prompted demands for her arrest.
The UAE is also India's third largest export destination, with nearly $16 billion clocked in 2020-21, it added. Major exports include petroleum products, precious metals, stones, gems and jewellery, minerals, food and textiles.
