For 4.3 Million Indians in UAE, Ties Shape Daily Life

For the roughly 4.3 million Indian nationals living in the United Arab Emirates, the relationship between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi is not an abstraction. It shapes remittances sent home to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It shapes the energy supplies that keep Indian homes running. And it shapes a community that has become the largest ethnic group in the Gulf country. It was against that lived backdrop that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in the UAE on Wednesday for a three-day official visit, using a prominent public appearance to argue that the world order underpinning such ties needs urgent reshaping.

Speaking at the Middle East edition of the Raisina Dialogue in Abu Dhabi, Jaishankar joined UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan for a session titled ‘The World Ahead: Power, Purpose & Possibility’. The minister told the audience that the global order was changing at an increasing pace, driven by what he described as both long-term trends and immediate shocks. That turbulence, he said, is prompting countries to look for new partnerships and alternatives suited to their own circumstances.

“New partnerships and fresh options are inevitably explored in that pursuit,” he wrote in a social media post after the discussion.

For Jaishankar, the moment demands more of governments than business as usual. He argued that countries must move beyond their traditional comfort zones and develop a sharper strategic awareness. His central prescription was blunt: “The reform of multilateralism is urgent. It can be supported through stronger minilateralism.” Minilateralism, as he used the term, refers to cooperation among relatively small groups of countries on specific issues, an approach that can allow governments to act together more effectively when broader multilateral forums struggle to reach consensus.

The minister reached for a partnership with direct consequences for millions of families on both sides to make his case. “The India-UAE partnership of the last decade is a great example of our two nations responding to the changing global environment,” he said. Over the past ten years, the two countries have broadened cooperation across trade, investment, energy, defence and security. A key instrument in that expansion has been the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which came into force in May 2022 and has provided a framework for boosting bilateral trade and economic engagement.

Meanwhile, the public session was paired with quieter diplomacy. Jaishankar also held a bilateral meeting with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, which he described as warm and productive. In a social media post, he said the two ministers “exchanged perspectives on bilateral and global issues in the spirit of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.

The visit carries particular weight for the Indian community in the Emirates. According to the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi, Indian expatriates make up approximately 35 per cent of the UAE’s population, with an estimated 4.3 million resident Indian nationals in 2024. About 15 per cent of the Indian diaspora lives in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, while the remainder is spread across the other six emirates, including Dubai. Kerala accounts for the largest share among Indian states, followed by Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with significant numbers also drawn from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and other states. The UAE remains a key source of energy supplies and investment for India, and the Gulf region’s importance to Indian households, from workers’ wages to fuel prices, gives the diplomatic language practical meaning.

Jaishankar’s remarks were reported in detail by The New Indian Express, whose coverage is available here: https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2026/Oct/15/eam-jaishankar-calls-for-urgent-reform-of-multilateralism-cites-india-uae-partnership

Whether multilateral institutions reform quickly enough to match the pace of change Jaishankar described remains an open question. What is already visible, in trade figures, energy flows and the daily lives of millions of Indians in the Emirates, is the smaller-scale cooperation he wants to see multiplied.