PM Modi to depart for 5-nation tour on Friday, beginning with UAE
India's Prime Minister is scheduled to depart on May 15, 2026 for a five-nation tour covering UAE, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy — running through M...
What Happened
- India's Prime Minister is scheduled to depart on May 15, 2026 for a five-nation tour covering UAE, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy — running through May 20.
- The UAE is the first stop; bilateral talks will focus on energy cooperation, including the option of expanding oil and LPG shipment routes through Port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman as an alternative to routes passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
- The tour is being described as a high-stakes diplomatic mission amid elevated Middle East tensions and global energy market volatility.
- The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has characterised the visit as part of India's broader global engagement, alongside India's simultaneous hosting of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi.
- Norway and the 3rd India-Nordic Summit on May 19 mark the first Indian Prime Ministerial visit to Norway in 43 years.
Static Topic Bridges
India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
India and the UAE signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on February 18, 2022, which came into force on May 1, 2022. It was India's first FTA in over a decade and the fastest concluded in Indian diplomatic history (88 days). The agreement covers goods, services, and investment, with India targeting bilateral trade of USD 100 billion by 2030 (from USD 60 billion at signing). Notably, the CEPA allows gold imports from the UAE under a Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) mechanism at concessional customs duty, which has significantly shaped India's gold import geography — UAE's share of India's gold imports rose from 7.9% (pre-CEPA) to 28% by 2025.
- India-UAE CEPA signed: February 18, 2022; in force: May 1, 2022
- India-UAE bilateral trade target: USD 100 billion by 2030
- UAE CEPA gold TRQ for FY2026: 180 metric tonnes at concessional duty
- UAE share of India's gold imports (2025): ~28%
Connection to this news: The UAE visit serves dual purposes — energy diplomacy and reinforcing the CEPA economic architecture, particularly in the context of rising gold imports and energy re-routing post-Hormuz risk.
India's Strait of Hormuz Exposure and Fujairah as an Alternative
The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, is the world's most critical oil chokepoint — approximately 20% of global petroleum liquids and about one-third of the world's LNG trade passes through it. For India, roughly 60% of crude oil imports transit the strait. The Port of Fujairah lies on the Gulf of Oman side of the UAE, effectively bypassing the Strait; it is connected to Abu Dhabi's Habshan terminal via the 370-km Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP). Increasing India-bound oil loading at Fujairah would reduce India's vulnerability to any Hormuz disruption.
- Strait of Hormuz width at narrowest: ~33 km
- ~20% of global petroleum liquids and ~33% of global LNG pass through Hormuz
- Port of Fujairah location: Gulf of Oman (bypasses Hormuz)
- Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP): 370 km, Habshan → Fujairah, capacity ~1.5 million barrels/day
Connection to this news: Bilateral talks on expanding Fujairah terminal capacity and ADCOP offtake for India-bound cargoes represent a concrete energy security hedging measure being pursued diplomatically.
India's Foreign Policy: Multi-Alignment and Strategic Autonomy
India's foreign policy is anchored in strategic autonomy — a doctrine that enables engagement with multiple power centres (US, EU, Russia, Gulf states) without exclusive alignment. This approach, rooted in the Non-Aligned Movement legacy but adapted to the contemporary multipolar order, allows India to simultaneously maintain energy imports from Russia, deepen ties with the EU, and strengthen Gulf partnerships — all in the same period. The five-nation tour exemplifies multi-alignment: tapping Gulf energy security (UAE), European technology (Netherlands, Sweden), Nordic innovation and green economy (Norway), and EU trade architecture (Italy).
- India's foreign policy doctrine: Strategic Autonomy / Multi-Alignment
- NAM founded: 1961 (Belgrade); India a founding member
- India's current non-permanent UNSC membership: 2021–22 (most recent term)
- India is the world's 5th-largest economy (nominal GDP) and 3rd-largest by PPP
Connection to this news: The geographic spread of this tour — from the Gulf to Scandinavia to the Mediterranean — is a practical demonstration of multi-alignment, pursued through simultaneous economic, energy, and security diplomacy.
Ministry of External Affairs and Diplomatic Protocol
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is the nodal ministry for India's foreign relations, responsible for the conduct of foreign policy, management of India's overseas missions, consular affairs, and coordination of diplomatic initiatives. High-level Prime Ministerial visits are the apex of bilateral engagement, typically involving exchange of MoUs, Joint Statements, and institutionalisation of bilateral mechanisms (joint commissions, strategic dialogues). The concurrent BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi during this tour signals India's simultaneous management of multilateral diplomacy.
- MEA headquartered: South Block, New Delhi
- India's diplomatic missions: 188 overseas (embassies, high commissions, consulates)
- BRICS members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (plus Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia from 2024 expansion)
Connection to this news: The overlap of the PM's tour with a BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meet demonstrates India's capacity to operate across bilateral and multilateral diplomatic tracks simultaneously — a hallmark of its current foreign policy posture.
Key Facts & Data
- Departure: May 15, 2026; Tour concludes: May 20, 2026
- Countries visited: UAE, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Italy
- UAE: energy security, Fujairah bypass, CEPA implementation
- Norway visit: first by an Indian PM in 43 years
- 3rd India-Nordic Summit: Oslo, May 19, 2026
- India-UAE CEPA in force since: May 1, 2022
- Strait of Hormuz: carries ~20% of global petroleum liquids
- Port of Fujairah: located on Gulf of Oman, bypasses Hormuz
- Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP): 370 km capacity pipeline, Habshan to Fujairah
- India imports ~85% of its crude oil needs