Lok Sabha Question No. 2411 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-13
Subject: Agreements with UAE
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane, Shri Sudheer Gupta, Shri Chavan Ravindra Vasantrao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2411

## ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026

## AGREEMENTS WITH UAE

2411. SHRI DHAIRYASHEEL SAMBHAJIRAO MANE

## SHRI CHAVAN RAVINDRA VASANTRAO

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA

Will the Minister of  EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether India and United Arab Emirates(UAE) have recently finalised a series of  agreements;

(b) if  so, the key areas and focus of  the said bilateral agreement indicating the major sectors on which deals were signed;

(c) whether the Government has also signed a pact for importing 0.5

million tonnes of liquified natural gas annually for 10 years starting 2028

from UAE and if so, the details thereof;

(d) the progress made under the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and its impact on bilateral trade and investments so far;

(e) the steps taken/being taken to address trade imbalances, improve market access for Indian goods and services and encourage greater participation of Indian companies in the UAE market; and

(f) the future roadmap outlined by the Government to deepen the IndiaUAE strategic partnership in the coming years?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a to b) During the visit of  His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of  the United Arab Emirates to India, on 19 January 2026, several MoUs/ Agreements were signed and announcements made to enhance cooperation in the areas of  trade and investment, energy, infrastructure, defence, technology and cultural exchanges. Details are enclosed at Annex-A and Annex-B.

(c) During the above mentioned visit, a Sales & Purchase Agreement (SPA) was signed between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Gas (ADNOC Gas), which provides a

long-term Agreement towards purchase of 0.5 MMPTA LNG by HPCL from ADNOC Gas over a period of 10 years starting from 2028.

(d)  The   India-UAE   Comprehensive   Economic   Partnership   Agreement (CEPA) was signed on 18 February 2022 and came into force from 1 May 2022. India-UAE bilateral trade has increased from USD 72.87 billion in FY 2021-22 to USD 100.06 billion in FY 2024-25. India's merchandise exports to the UAE have grown steadily, supported by preferential market access on over 97% of tariff lines covering 99% of Indian exports in value terms.

(e) The Government is engaging closely with the UAE through the CEPA institutional mechanisms to address trade imbalances, improve market access and promote participation of Indian companies in the UAE market. Both sides have agreed to work towards expanding non-oil, non-precious metal trade and diversifying the trade basket. Sector-specific issues relating to agriculture, pharmaceuticals, standards, customs procedures, certification, and gems & jewellery are being discussed regularly under the Joint Committee framework of the India UAE CEPA.

(f) The India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership relationship is driven by sustained engagement at the highest levels of leadership.

Government of India is committed to deepen its multifaceted cooperation with UAE in the traditional sectors of cooperation, while expanding collaboration into new and strategic areas.

Annex-A List of Agreements/ MoUs/ LoIs signed during the visit

|   No | Agreements/ MoUs/ LoIs                                                                                                                                                                                                            | Sector/ Objectives                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|    1 | Letter of Intent on Investment Cooperation between the Government of Gujarat, Republic of India and the Ministry of Investment of the United Arab Emirates for Development of Dholera Special Investment region To pursue Special | investment cooperation for UAE partnership in development of the Investment Region in Dholera, Gujarat. The envisioned partnership would include the development of key strategic infrastructure, including an international airport, a pilot training school, a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility, a greenfield port, a smart urban township, railway connectivity, and energy infrastructure. |

|   2 | Letter of Intent between the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) of India and the Space Agency of the United Arab Emirates for a Joint Initiative to Enable Space Industry Development and Commercial Collaboration   | To pursue India-UAE partnership in developing joint infrastructure for space and commercialization, including launch complexes, manufacturing and technology zones, incubation centre and accelerator for space start-ups, training institute and exchange programmes.                                                                   |
|-----|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   3 | Letter of Intent between the Republic of India and the United Arab Emirates on the Strategic Defence Partnership                                                                                                                                      | Work together to establish Strategic Defence Partnership Framework Agreement and expand defence cooperation across a number of areas, including defence industrial collaboration, defence innovation and advanced technology, training, education and doctrine, special operations and interoperability, cyber space, counter terrorism. |
|   4 | Sales & Purchase Agreement (SPA) between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, (HPCL) and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Gas (ADNOC Gas)                                                                                                       | The long-term Agreement provides for purchase of 0.5 MMPTA LNG by HPCL from ADNOC Gas over a period of 10 years starting from                                                                                                                                                                                                            |

|    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        | 2028.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|----|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  5 | MoU on Food Safety and Technical requirements between Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry of India, and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment of the United Arab Emirates. The MoU sanitary and parameters to the trade, promotion cooperation in sector, and to | provides for quality facilitate exchange, of the food encourage rice, food products and other agricultural products exports from India to UAE. It will benefit the farmers from India and contribute to food security of the UAE. |

## List of announcements made during the visit

- A) Establishing a supercomputer cluster in India
- B) Doubling bilateral trade by 2032
- C) Promoting civil nuclear cooperation
- D) Exploring establishment of Digital Embassies
- E) Developing a cultural 'House of India'  in UAE
- F) Promoting youth exchanges
- G) Integrating India's Digilocker with UAE's platforms for seamless authentication of Indian educational degrees/documents.

## *****

## Annex-B