In 2022 India & UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with an aim of taking bilateral trade to US$100 billion within 5 years.

Mesopotamian records reveal that Meluhha was a source of coveted goods like ivory and carnelian, while the UAE, particularly through its sheikhdoms, played a crucial role in connecting the trade routes.

Evidence of this ancient trade persists, with discoveries of valuable goods and spices in Roman settlements along Egypt's Red Sea coast, highlighting the historical ties between India and the UAE.

People-to-people contacts and barter trade for clothes and spices from India in exchange for dates and pearls from the region have existed for centuries.

[9] On 18 August 2018, Modi described Sheikh Mohammed's humanitarian support for those affected by the Kerala floods that year as "[reflecting] the special ties between governments and people of India and UAE".

"[11] In August, 2021, UAE and India signed an agreement under which faculty members from Indian universities will spend six to 10 months every year for undertaking research and teaching social sciences in Abu Dhabi.

[12] In January 2024, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India to participate in Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2024.

As a special gesture PM Modi personally received the UAE president and held a road show in Ahmedabad.

[21] India had a four-story pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 showcasing business opportunities and its global push towards attracting investors for its projected $5 trillion economy.

The pavilion, one of the largest among 190 countries, featured Indian brands and multinational companies, including Reliance Industries and Adani Group.

[23] At the G20 Summit 2023 a memorandum of understanding on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, or IMEC, was signed by the European Union, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the U.S.[24] 2023 also saw an agreement to allow bilateral trade to use Indian rupees, rather than US dollars.

K. Radhakrishna, former head of ISRO, played a key role in the development of the Emirates’ Mars Hope Probe, which was successfully launched in July 2020 from the Tanegashima Space Centre.

Additionally, the inaugural joint naval exercise, Gulf Star-1,after held in 2018, established a foundation for maritime security cooperation between the two nations.

[28] On 4 March 2018, the Indian Coast Guard and Emirati special forces collaborated in a successful operation, requested by Emirati Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and approved by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, to intercept a yacht carrying Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum.

Both countries agreed to cooperate in art, culture, and education, including academic activity in science and technology, sports, public health and mass media.

Diplomats have emphasized the bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan for close cooperation between the countries.

Prior to the inauguration, Prime Minister Modi symbolically offered water in the virtual Ganga and Yamuna rivers within the temple premises.