MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said this in a tweet. “We hope to welcome a dear friend of India, HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, as Republic Day 2017 Chief Guest,” he tweeted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet thanked Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi for accepting the invitation to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade next year and said his visit will give a very strong boost to bilateral ties. Modi, in another tweet, said that the visit of the Crown Prince will give a very strong boost to the vibrant India-UAE ties.
Later, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan thanked Prime Minister Modi for the invitation. In a letter to the Prime Minister of India, he said, the two countries’ strong relations are deeply rooted in history.