Gandhinagar: UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan addressed the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 on Wednesday at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar. The speech signifies UAE's strong ties with India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Following his speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on social media platform X, lauded the UAE President and said that his statements were very encouraging.

"My brother, His Highness Sheikh @MohamedBinZayed not only supervised the @VibrantGujarat summit, but also spoke at the summit. His statements were very encouraging," PM Modi wrote on X.

"India is proud of his ideas and efforts to strengthen India-UAE relations," he added.

Prime Minister Modi, who received UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Ahmedabad airport on Tuesday, described the UAE leader as "my brother" and said it is an honour to have him in India.

"Welcome to India, my brother, HH @MohamedBinZayed. It's an honour to have you visit us," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X.

He attached pictures that reflected the warm bond between the two leaders. The pictures showed two leaders hugging each other and holding each other's hand at the airport.

PM Modi and the UAE President later held a roadshow in Ahmedabad ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. People in large numbers welcomed PM Modi and the UAE President in Ahmedabad.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra and senior officials were also present at the airport.

Meanwhile, India and the UAE on Tuesday signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. An MoU was signed between India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and UAE's Ministry of Investment on Investment Cooperation in Renewable Energy Sectors.

Another MoU was signed between India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and UAE's Ministry of Investment on Investment Cooperation in Innovative Healthcare Projects.

There was an MoU between India's Ministry of Food Processing Industries and UAE's Ministry of Investment on Investment Cooperation in Food Park Development and another MoU between DP World (UAE) and the Gujarat Government on Creating Sustainable, Green and Efficient Ports.

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit was started in 2003 under the leadership of Modi when he was the state chief minister.

The tenth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is being held from January 10-12, 2024 in Gandhinagar. Its theme is 'Gateway to the Future'.

This Tenth Edition of the Summit will celebrate "20 Years of Vibrant Gujarat as the Summit of Success".

There are 34 Partner countries and 16 Partner organisations for this year's Summit. The Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region will also utilise the Vibrant Gujarat platform to showcase investment opportunities in the North-Eastern regions.