BAPS Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi opens for public today; Indian envoy Sunjay Sudhir lauds India-UAE ties

Abu Dhabi [UAE], March 1 : The BAPS Hindu temple, inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in Abu Dhabi, opens today for the public. Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Sanjay Sudhir, highlighted that the India-UAE relationship is strong.

The iconic BAPS Hindu Mandir, which is the first Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi, was inaugurated on February 14 by Mahant Swami Maharaj in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the eminent Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence for the UAE, Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan.
Emphasising on the India-UAE relationship, Sudhir recalled PM Modi's visits to the UAE.

"I deal with the India-UAE relationship, which is going very well. In the last seven, or about 9-10 years, the Prime Minister has visited this country seven times. In fact, in the last two years, he has visited four times," he said.
Adding to this, Sudhir noted PM Modi's last visit to the UAE and said, "His last visit was just a couple of weeks back, which was a very significant visit in terms of bilateral outcomes and in terms of engagement with the leadership of the UAE..."
The BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi is the first traditional Hindu stone temple in the Middle East, and stands as a testament to the enduring friendship between India and the UAE, embodying the spirit of cultural inclusivity, interfaith harmony, and community collaboration.
As the temple opened for the general public, a newlywed couple shared their happiness to be there on the first day of their wedding.
They said, "It is a very good opportunity for us to come here and take the blessings of God. It is so peaceful out here."

Further, while complimenting the architecture, they said, "The architecture is simply incredible. This place is beautiful and we are really happy to be here on the first day of our marriage."
Moreover, highlighting the World Trade Organization (WTO) 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) held in Abu Dhabi, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE, said, "It is not the first time that a multilateral event is happening in the UAE. In December, if you recall, COP 28 was held with the participation of a record number of heads of state and government. Now, the MC13 of the WTO is happening here with a huge group of trade ministers."
He said that the UAE has been hosting a lot of these international events.
"They have the infrastructure, they have the willingness, and they have the confidence now to hold international events at the highest possible level and in the best possible way," he added.
The closing session of the WTO 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) was postponed to 5 pm (local time) on Friday, March 1. WTO Spokeswoman Ismaila Dieng said that the ministers continue to hold discussions on a package of agreements for adoption at MC13.
Ministers and delegates from across the world gathered in Abu Dhabi for the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting that began on February 26, to discuss and deliberate upon global trade rules.
At the ongoing 13th ministerial conference of the WTO, India stressed that all policy options should be available for the WTO members to pursue for promoting digital industrialization.
The WTO, a global watchdog, founded about three decades ago, now has 166 member countries, including India.