Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince gets ceremonial welcome; meets PM Modi to discuss ways to curb radicalism

New Delhi: Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was on Thursday accorded a ceremonial welcome in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Al Nahyan, who is on a three-day visit, was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour in the sprawling courtyard of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in what is his first state visit to India. [caption id=“attachment_2621762” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Image courtesy: Twitter/@MEAIndia[/caption] Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley were present on the occasion. Modi and Al Nahyan, who is also the deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces, later met at the Prime Minister’s residence. “An exceptional tete-a-tete. PM meets the Crown Prince for a restricted meeting at 7RCR before talks in the evening,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. The two leaders will hold detailed deliberations on Thursday following which both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements. Ways to contain radicalism, stepping up counter-terrorism cooperation and dealing with the Islamic State are likely to figure prominently in the talks. Before his ceremonial welcome, the Crown Prince also visited Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Rajghat, laid a wreath and planted a sapling there. Al Nahyan arrived in Delhi on Thursday to a warm welcome, with the Prime Minister setting aside protocol to receive the “special friend” at the airport with the hope of adding new vigour and momentum to India-UAE ties. PTI