The President, Sheikh Khalifa, conferred the Order of Zayed II first class on Navdeep Suri, the departing Indian ambassador to the UAE.

Mr Suri was given the honour in recognition of his efforts during his tenure and his contribution to the development and strengthening of relations between the UAE and India.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, presented the Order to the ambassador during a meeting at the ministry in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Sheikh Abdullah praised the ambassador for his role in bolstering UAE-Indian relations and wished him success in his future assignments.

This week, Sheikh Khalifa also conferred the Order of Independence, First Class, on Italian ambassador to the UAE, Liborio Stellino.

The award was again presented by Sheikh Abdullah, who thanked Mr Stellino for his work in strengthening ties between the countries and wished him the best for the future.

The Italian ambassador thanked Sheikh Khalifa and all of the government bodies for their support in making his job a success.