India and the United Arab Emirates have renewed their push to advance India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) connectivity and strategic energy infrastructure, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussing the priorities with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in New Delhi.
The Crown Prince was representing the UAE at the BRICS summit. Following the meeting, Modi said the two countries had transformed their relationship in recent years and were now raising their ambitions across several strategic sectors.
“Discussed taking our Strategic Partnership forward across defence, AI, space, critical minerals, energy, food security and connectivity,” Modi said in a post-meeting statement. He added that the discussions covered “new possibilities in strategic energy infrastructure and IMEC connectivity”.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor is intended to strengthen connectivity and supply-chain links between India, the Middle East and Europe. For India and the UAE, the corridor involves logistics infrastructure, digital systems and supply-chain services that can support the movement of different categories of cargo.
India and the UAE signed an agreement in 2024 concerning the operation of IMEC. Its main provisions include the development and management of a logistics platform, supported by a digital ecosystem, along with supply-chain services for general cargo, bulk cargo, containers and liquid bulk.
The agreement places logistics operations and digital coordination at the centre of the corridor’s proposed functioning. The scope covers multiple cargo categories, indicating that the platform is intended to support a broad freight network rather than a single type of shipment.
The latest discussion also linked IMEC with strategic energy infrastructure. Modi said the two sides had identified potential for cooperation in energy, food security, critical minerals, space, artificial intelligence and defence, alongside connectivity. The meeting therefore placed the corridor within the wider India-UAE strategic partnership rather than treating it as a standalone transport initiative.
Modi also described the India-UAE relationship as a symbol of stability, prosperity and peace at a time of uncertainty in West Asia. The statement did not specify a new project, investment commitment, construction schedule or operational deadline for the connectivity or energy infrastructure initiatives discussed.
The immediate next steps will depend on how the two countries translate the 2024 operating agreement into logistics-platform development, digital integration and supply-chain services. Further details on specific projects, timelines and implementation arrangements were not provided in the statement.
