United Arab Emirates President Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday honoured Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Zayed Medal.
The Zayed Medal is the UAE’s highest honour awarded to kings, presidents and heads of states, according to Gulf News. It was awarded to Modi in appreciation of his efforts to boost relations between the Emirates and India.
Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, tweeted that his “dear friend” Modi played a pivotal role in reinforcing UAE’s “historical and comprehensive strategic ties with India” and gave the relation a “big boost”.
“By granting our dear friend the Indian Prime Minister the Zayed Medal, we express our appreciation for his role and efforts in developing friendly relations and extending bridges of cooperation between the UAE and the Republic of India in various fields,” the crown prince said, according to Gulf News.
Modi said on Twitter that he accepts the honour with “utmost humility” and that the strategic ties between the nations had reached “new heights”.
Modi has visited the UAE twice in three years, according to The National. During his last visit to the emirates in February 2018, Modi had laid the foundation stone for the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the honour was bestowed on Modi in recognition of his “stellar role” in ushering a new era of strategic partnership with the UAE. The Ministry of Eternal Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said they “greatly appreciate” the honour. “This singular honour is in recognition of the efforts of the government under the Prime Minister’s leadership to develop the strategic partnership between India and the UAE,” Kumar said, reported PTI.
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