UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan paid an official state visit to India on January 19, 2026, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was the fifth visit of the UAE President to India in the last ten years and his third official visit as President of the UAE. The two nations signed a 'Letter of Intent for a bilateral Strategic Defence Partnership', envisaging cooperation in defence industrial collaboration, defence innovation and advanced technology, special operations and interoperability, cyber space, and counter-terrorism. India and the UAE agreed to double bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032. A 10-year LNG supply agreement was signed, under which 0.5 million tonnes per year of LNG will be supplied starting 2028. Both leaders welcomed discussions on a potential UAE partnership for the development of the Special Investment Region in Dholera, Gujarat, which would include an international airport, pilot training school, maintenance and repair facility, greenfield port, smart urban township, railway connectivity, and energy infrastructure. Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence and a supercomputing cluster in India were also announced. From Rajasthan's perspective, the UAE is one of the largest destinations for Rajasthani workers in the Gulf diaspora, and the state's marble, handicraft, and textile exports have strong UAE market links. The Dholera SIR investment is also significant for the broader western India corridor, of which Rajasthan is a key component through the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.