Indian CG confirms growth in bilateral trade and investments

I congratulate all Indians and friends of India on the 70th Republic Day. This is the day when we remember the sacrifices of the leaders of our freedom struggle and acknowledge the great work of the makers of our Constitution that has enabled India to emerge as a strong nation in the last seven decades. Our Republic Day is always celebrated with great enthusiasm and festivity in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, especially given the fact that such a large number of Indians reside here.

The last four years have seen India-UAE relations getting strengthened in almost all areas which is reflective of the vision of the leadership of both countries. It is therefore no coincidence that in the past four years we have had exchange of visits at the highest levels between both countries every year. We were proud to have our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visiting UAE again in February 2018 after his historic visit in August 2015. His participation in the World Government Summit in Dubai showcased not only the massive development taking place in India but also the breadth of our cooperation with the UAE.

Another highlight in 2018 was the exchange of visits at the Foreign Minister level between two countries. We were also pleased to have several Indian Cabinet Ministers and Chief Ministers visiting the UAE to explore cooperation in areas such as energy, food processing, skill development, infrastructure, logistics, investments, IT and new technology areas such as AI.

We also continued to work for the promotion of trade and investment relationship between India and the UAE. India is among top two trading partners of the UAE and the UAE remains the third largest trading partner of India. Indians also continue to invest in the UAE both in businesses and realty sector. We will continue to assist the business communities of both countries so that our trade and investment relations grow further. This year will also see quick progress on India's pavilion for Expo 2020. The Government of India is committed to participate in a big way in this marquee event of Dubai and will work to showcase all aspects of India and India-UAE relations through its pavilion.

Our Consulate has always tried to provide timely and efficient services to Indian nationals. During the last year, we undertook some new initiatives for the welfare of the Indian community, the two main being the start of an Open House on the last Friday of every month and organising meetings of Indian community volunteers also on that day. Both these initiatives have been highly successful. This year we would further build upon these initiatives so that more people know about them and get connected with us. The Consulate also facilitated Indians during the Amnesty that lasted from August 1 to December 31. During this period, we issued about 4,800 Emergency Certificates free of cost and about 2,800 passports to Indians. We also provided assistance for subsistence, payment of fines and air tickets to a large number of people for availing of the Amnesty.

We were also extremely happy that a strong delegation of more than 300 Indians from the UAE participated in the recently held Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Varanasi. This was the largest ever participation from any country in any Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. The delegation was representative of the impressive achievements of the Indian community in the UAE and also raised various issues relevant to them with the Government of India.

In the year 2019, we are celebrating 150th year of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary as well as 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Devji. We will be organising various events in commemoration of these momentous occasions. I believe that it is a matter of providence that the UAE is also celebrating this year as the Year of Tolerance. Both Mahatma Gandhi and Guru Nanak Devji taught us the lessons of peace and humanity and our tribute to them will support the spirit of tolerance promoted by the visionary leadership of the UAE.

I once again wish all Indians a happy Republic Day and thank the entire leadership of the UAE for the great support they have given to Indians to live and work here and for their commitment to India-UAE relationship.

Jai Hind!