Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the United Arab Emirates has been described by former Indian ambassador to the UAE Sanjay Sudhir as highly significant, particularly given the current tensions in West Asia. The visit, which begins tomorrow, is part of a five-nation tour (UAE, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Italy) from May 15–20 and is expected to reinforce political ties and focus heavily on energy security.
Sudhir, who served as India’s envoy to the UAE from 2021 to 2025, called the trip a clear symbol of support. He noted the unusually frequent high-level contact between the two countries — this will be Prime Minister Modi’s eighth visit to the UAE and the UAE president has visited India five times — and pointed to strong intergenerational ties, including recent visits by the crown princes of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Energy cooperation is expected to dominate discussions. The UAE is already a central energy partner for India in the Gulf and the relationship has expanded well beyond buyer-seller dynamics to include investment and long-term strategic collaboration. The UAE has invested in India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) — reportedly contributing about five million barrels — and remains one of India’s top LPG suppliers. Sudhir highlighted that LPG fuels roughly 340 million Indian households, so stable LPG supplies are a key priority.
The UAE’s decision to leave OPEC and plans to raise crude output from current capacity levels (around 4.8 million barrels per day) back up from OPEC-related cuts (about 3.2 mbd) to a target of roughly 5 million barrels per day by 2027 could increase available supply. Sudhir suggested that the dilution of cartel influence benefits large importers like India and expects Indian and UAE companies to discuss long-term crude, LPG and LNG contracts.
India has already secured long-term LNG supplies from the UAE (around 4.5 million metric tonnes reported) and the UAE’s Fujairah terminal — outside the Strait of Hormuz — is strategically important for diversifying supply routes. Sudhir urged forward planning for possible disruptions through Hormuz, noting the region has seen crises before and that leaders are likely to address contingency strategies for energy routes when they meet.
Sources indicate that two major memoranda of understanding, likely covering LPG supplies and Strategic Petroleum Reserves cooperation, could be signed during the visit. Prime Minister Modi will meet UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss bilateral relations, deeper energy cooperation, and wider regional and international issues of shared interest.
Sudhir summed up the visit as both timely and practical: a reaffirmation of political solidarity amid regional strains and a concrete step toward securing diversified, reliable energy ties between India and the UAE.
