Bahrain pushes ahead with Muharraq city redevelopment plan Halliburton wins multi-year Aramco gas development contract Saudi: Kent secures long-term deals with Aramco for future EPC projects Oman and Jordan launch $100mln investment firm Modon, ADIB introduce Abu Dhabi’s first off-plan home financing solutions Abu Dhabi launches maritime investment guide to attract global businesses Saudi Arabia inaugurates over 900km of roads to boost connectivity Gulftainer unveils $2bln global trade infrastructure strategy Saudi Arabia's trade surplus surges 60% to over $24bln in Q1 2026 UAE, Panama discuss boosting trade, investment, supply chains as part of 'UAE Trade Days' Sharjah Chamber registers 30,000 memberships in H1 Saudi tourism spending reaches record $81bln in 2025 Dubai's AMIS breaks ground on Jacob & Co.’s villa community; targets $10bln IPO in three years UAE's new government work model to deploy Agentic AI in public services Indonesia, Kuwait strengthen strategic energy partnership Kuwait unveils framework for 15-year residency for expat investors Riyadh Air takes off on first domestic route to Jeddah Bahrain issues laws to protect investments Qatar's Hamad Port sails into the world's top eight Kuwait air traffic returns to normal, flights resume QatarEnergy announces new oil discovery offshore Namibia UAE developer Alef launches $1.1bln mixed-use development in Sharjah ADNOC eyeing Canada upstream and LNG opportunities via XRG arm, executive says Dubai real estate deals in April surge to $18.7bln Saudi's SAMA mandates advance notification of investment rounds by financing companies Qatar maritime trade activity accelerates in May Oil steadies as uncertainty over US-Iran talks keeps markets on edge Qatar: Relatively hot daytime conditions expected, moderate night Dubai Centre for Family Businesses explores ways to strengthen business adaptability Saudi Crown Prince, UAE President discuss regional security and cooperation

Log in

عربي

Media Centre

Home » Media Centre

Al Zeyoudi: UAE, India continue to reap benefits of CEPA

Al Zeyoudi: UAE, India continue to reap benefits of CEPA

Al Zeyoudi: UAE, India continue to reap benefits of CEPA

Apr 10, 2025

Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, said that the UAE and India share a strong mutual commitment to elevating their strategic partnership across all sectors. This cooperation, he noted, is aligned with the ambitious development goals of both nations and contributes to sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity for their peoples.

Speaking to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Al Zeyoudi emphasised that the reciprocal visits by the leaders of both countries reflect this joint vision and help strengthen strategic collaboration. These high-level engagements continue to create opportunities for building deeper partnerships, especially in trade and investment between the business communities and private sectors of both nations.

He noted that the official visit of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence, to India comes as the two friendly countries approach the third anniversary of the implementation of their Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which came into effect on 1st May 2022. This agreement was the first of its kind signed by the UAE under its CEPA programme and the first to be implemented—highlighting the long-standing and robust ties between the UAE and India.

Al Zeyoudi pointed out that the UAE and India continue to reap tangible benefits from the CEPA, which over the past three years has led to significant growth in bilateral trade and investment flows. Non-oil trade between the two countries grew by 20.5%, reaching over AED240 billion in 2024, compared to AED199.3 billion in 2023. This growth underscores the vast opportunities in trade and investment between the two nations.

India also ranked as the top destination for UAE’s non-oil exports in 2024, accounting for 13.5% of total non-oil exports—a remarkable year-on-year increase of 75.2% compared to 2023.

He further explained that both nations play a vital role in each other’s economies. India is the UAE’s second-largest global trading partner after China, while the UAE is India’s third-largest trading partner, following China and the U.S.

India is also the second-largest investor in the UAE, holding a 6.3% share with investments totaling nearly US$10 billion by the end of 2022. Conversely, the UAE has cumulative direct investments in India of around US$23 billion by the end of 2024—making it India’s seventh-largest global investor and the top Arab investor.

The value of UAE investments flowing into India between April 2022 and December 2024 reached US$10.4 billion, coinciding with the implementation of the CEPA.