Page 239 - MOE ENGLISH PR REPORT - APRIL 2025 (Part 2)

4/15/25, 4:27 PM Al Zeyoudi: UAE, India continue to reap benefits of CEPA
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.

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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

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