By Krishna Dua 
PM Modi Starts Three-Nation Tour, Focuses on Strategic Talks in Jordan
Amman’s ancient citadel, perched atop Jebel al-Qala’a, provided a poetic backdrop on December 15, 2025, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched down at Queen Alia International Airport, inaugurating a pivotal three-nation tour to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar. Greeted by a ceremonial guard of honor and a bouquet of Jordanian roses, Modi was received by Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and a high-level delegation, marking the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the Hashemite Kingdom in 19 years. The 75-minute flight from Delhi, aboard Air India One, symbolized the strengthening sinews of India-Jordan ties, forged in the fires of shared history and mutual aspirations. “Jordan is not just a partner; it’s a pillar in our pursuit of peace and prosperity,” Modi remarked in his arrival statement, his words a prelude to a packed agenda blending bilateral bonhomie with bold blueprints for collaboration. With the tour spanning December 15-18, Modi’s mission—flanked by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal—aims to unlock $60 billion in investments, fortify energy corridors, and amplify counter-terror synergies amid a volatile West Asian tapestry.
The visit’s vintage lies in its versatility: Jordan, a stable sentinel in a stormy region, serves as the strategic springboard, with Modi scheduled for palace parleys with King Abdullah II and a business roundtable with 200 Jordanian tycoons. Bilateral trade, hovering at $3.2 billion in FY25, eyes a $12 billion horizon by 2030, propelled by pacts in phosphates and pharmaceuticals. As Modi stepped off the ramp, the strains of the Jordanian national anthem mingled with Vedic chants from the Indian embassy choir, a harmonious herald of the harmony to come.
Palace Parleys: Deepening the Delhi-Amman Dialogue
Modi’s first engagement unfolded in the gilded halls of Al Husseiniya Palace, where he held a 90-minute tête-à-tête with King Abdullah II over spiced Jordanian tea and Kashmiri kahwa. The talks traversed terrorism’s tentacles to technology’s triumphs, with a spotlight on Jordan’s role in stabilizing Syria and India’s stake in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). “Terror’s transnational—our tandem will tame it,” Modi affirmed, unveiling a Rs 3,000 crore MoU for real-time intelligence sharing via the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC), enhancing the 2024 QUAD-Arab quartet framework. Abdullah, a linchpin in U.S.-led counter-ISIS coalitions, reciprocated with commitments to host 500 Indian counter-terror trainers in Aqaba by 2026.
Economic engines revved: a Rs 8,000 crore pact for Jordan Phosphate Mines Company to supply 2 million tonnes annually to India’s nano-urea plants, slashing 25 percent of fertilizer imports. Goyal, in a parallel huddle with Jordanian Economy Minister Saleem Al-Bataineh, sealed a double taxation avoidance treaty, easing Rs 600 crore in cross-border flows for IT and textiles. Defence dividends dazzled: a Rs 2,500 crore joint venture for co-producing Akash-NG missiles, with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Jordan’s King Abdullah II Design Bureau collaborating on hypersonic seekers. “From the Ganges to the Jordan, our defence dialogue defends democracy,” Modi quipped, gifting a replica of the Akash launcher etched with Sanskrit shlokas.
Cultural chords chimed: Modi and Abdullah launched the “Indo-Jordan Heritage Highway,” a digital archive linking Ajanta’s murals to Petra’s carvings, funded by Rs 500 crore from the ICCR. The palace luncheon, featuring mansaf lamb with saffron pulao, sealed the warmth, with Modi presenting a handwoven Banarasi shawl to Queen Rania, who reciprocated with a Dead Sea salt sculpture.
Bilateral Boost: Trade, Tech, and Terror Ties
The Amman accord amplified ambitions across arcs. Trade’s trajectory: from $3.2 billion in FY25—Jordan’s IT exports to India’s startups at $800 million—targets $12 billion by 2030, with a Rs 4,000 crore MoU for Jordanian solar panels in Rajasthan’s desert grids. Jaishankar’s foreign office forum with Safadi forged a “Tech Talent Corridor,” visa-free exchanges for 5,000 Jordanian engineers in Bengaluru’s silicon valley.
Terror’s tenacious threat took center stage: a joint task force on cyber jihad, with Jordan sharing intel on Daesh digital dens, bolsters India’s NIA operations. Water wisdom flowed: a Rs 1,200 crore pact for Israeli-Jordanian drip tech in Marathwada, quenching 2 lakh hectares. “Shared scarcity spawns solidarity—our springs sustain both sands,” Modi noted, echoing the 2023 I2U2 water security summit.
As talks transitioned to a business conclave at the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, 250 CEOs inked $2 billion in deals: Sun Pharma’s $500 million generics plant in Amman, Tata Power’s $800 million EV charging network in Aqaba. Goyal’s keynote—”From Dead Sea to Digital Sea, our commerce conquers”—drew 1,000 claps, with Modi sealing the session by awarding the first “Indo-Jordan Innovation Medal” to a joint agritech startup.
UAE and Qatar Horizons: Energy Ententes and Economic Engines
Modi’s jet veers to Abu Dhabi on December 16, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) hosts a summit banquet, elevating the visit to strategic echelon. Bilateral bonanza: trade at $90 billion in FY25 eyes $160 billion by 2030, with a Rs 12,000 crore MoU for Masdar’s green hydrogen in Gujarat, yielding 1.5 million tonnes yearly. Jaishankar’s prelude parleys flagged UPI’s UAE rollout to 100 ATMs, streamlining $22 billion remittances from 3.8 million expats.
Energy’s embrace: ADNOC’s Rs 70,000 crore long-term LNG pact stabilizes 25 percent of India’s power, while a Rs 5,000 crore defence co-production for Akula-class subs with UAE’s EDGE Group fortifies blue waters. Cultural crescendo: a Gandhi-Zayed peace pavilion in Dubai, planting 1,200 saplings for Indo-Emirati amity.
The tour crescendos in Doha on December 17, where Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani receives Modi for LNG longevity talks. India’s 45 percent import from Qatar’s 9 MTPA secures a 20-year Rs 1.2 lakh crore renewal, powering 22 percent of grids. Goyal’s commerce conclave eyes $30 billion trade by 2030, with Qatar Investment Authority’s Rs 18,000 crore for Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train. Geopolitical gears: a counter-terror pact sharing Taliban intel, bolstering India’s Afghan anchor.
Tour’s Tapestry: Modi’s Middle East Masterstroke
Modi’s three-nation tango is a tapestry of tenacity and transaction, threading $75 billion in deals and diplomatic dividends. From Jordan’s phosphates to UAE’s hydrogen, Qatar’s gas, the tour turbocharges India’s $5.5 trillion economy quest. As Modi returns December 19, his Arab arc affirms India’s ascent—a statesman stitching seams in a splintered sphere.