Modi cancels UAE visit amid a spike in Omicron cases

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the tiny Gulf state of UAE, expected to take place in the first week of January, has been postponed amid a spike in Omicron cases, sources said.

The sources said Modi was scheduled to visit the Emirates from January 6 on his first foreign visit in the new year. India and the UAE are holding talks for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and there were reports that the agreement could be announced during the visit. It would be India’s first CEPA in the Gulf region.

The foreign ministers of India, Israel, the United States and the UAE, a new quad bloc focused on economic and infrastructure issues, are expected to hold a meeting on the margins of Expo 2020 in Dubai.