India, UAE in talks over Modi’s transit next month

India, UAE in talks over Modi's transit next month
In this image received on January 19, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan exchange a Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi. (PMO via PTI Photo)

New Delhi: India and the United Arab Emirates are discussing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brief stop in the Gulf state during his four-nation European tour next month.Official sources clarified that discussions are still ongoing and the visit has not yet been finalized.Modi will travel to Norway next month to attend the Indo-Nordic summit. He will then travel to the Netherlands, Sweden and Italy. If the Prime Minister’s proposed transit from the UAE comes to fruition, it will provide India with an important opportunity to express solidarity with a country with which it has one of the most important strategic partnerships in the Gulf.Modi has spoken to President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan twice and condemned Iran’s attacks on GCC countries that violated the UAE’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.