External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday, marking the commencement of an official visit scheduled from 11 to 12 April 2026.

The visit forms part of a broader diplomatic push, during which Jaishankar will engage with UAE leadership to review the robust cooperation between the two nations and further deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

This partnership underscores the multifaceted ties that have flourished in recent years, encompassing trade, investment, defence, and energy domains, with the UAE emerging as one of India's largest trading partners.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) outlined the strategic context of the trip on Friday, emphasising that Jaishankar's journey, alongside that of Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to other Gulf nations, is explicitly designed to fortify India's energy security against the backdrop of rapidly evolving regional dynamics in West Asia.

These dynamics include ongoing geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, and shifts in global energy markets, which have heightened the imperative for stable hydrocarbon inflows to fuel India's growing economy.

During an inter-ministerial briefing on recent West Asia developments, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal elaborated on the visits, attributing them directly to the directives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Prime Minister's guidance reflects a proactive stance to enhance energy partnerships, ensuring uninterrupted supplies critical for India's industrial and domestic needs, given the Gulf's pivotal role in providing over 80 per cent of India's crude oil imports.

Jaiswal specifically highlighted Jaishankar's itinerary, noting that the External Affairs Minister had been in Mauritius prior to this leg, from where he travelled to the UAE on 11 and 12 April 2026.

In the UAE, Jaishankar is set to hold high-level discussions with key leaders, aimed at nurturing even stronger India-UAE ties across strategic sectors.

These engagements are expected to cover areas such as investment flows, with UAE sovereign funds like ADIA playing a significant role in Indian infrastructure and renewable energy projects, alongside defence cooperation and people-to-people links.

Jaiswal further underscored India's dual-track approach in regional energy diplomacy, affirming that while the nation prioritises its own energy security, it remains committed to extending support to neighbouring countries facing shortages.

As a concrete example, he revealed that India had delivered 38 metric tons of petroleum products to Sri Lanka just two weeks prior to the briefing.

This shipment demonstrates India's reliability as a regional energy partner, stepping in to alleviate immediate crises amid global supply strains affecting smaller economies.

In a parallel development, Jaiswal announced that India is advancing towards finalising a government-to-government agreement with Mauritius for the supply of oil and gas.

This pact is poised to be instrumental in shoring up Mauritius's energy security, providing the island nation with assured access to essential fuels through long-term arrangements.

Such initiatives not only reinforce bilateral bonds but also position India as a stabilising force in the Indian Ocean region, countering external influences while advancing shared economic resilience.

EAM Jaishankar's UAE visit exemplifies India's calibrated West Asia strategy, blending bilateral deepening with multilateral energy outreach under Modi's leadership.

ANI