Kerala CM to visit Dubai on his maiden foreign trip

The UAE's Keralite community is gearing up to receive the state's chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has chosen Dubai for his first overseas trip after assuming office in May this year, Khaleej Times has learnt.

The CM, who has retained the Non-Resident Keralite Affairs Department (Norka) portfolio, is expected to be in the UAE for two days (December 22 and 23) and attend several public and private events, interacting with the community and business leaders.

He is also expected to meet government leaders although no official details of that are available yet.

"The first official visit of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to the UAE is an important milestone for the community. He has been keenly following the problems and issues facing the Keralite community abroad and many programmes are planned as part of his first official visit to the UAE," said K.L. Gopi, who is coordinating the leader's schedule in the UAE.

Vijayan's UAE visit gains significance in the light of the UAE government recently establishing a consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, the state's capital.

While on his visit, Vijayan is expected to address the problems faced by Indian expats due to India's demonetisation drive. "There will be a public programme in which about 10,000 Keralites from different emirates will participate," Gopi told Khaleej Times. He will speak at a public programme in Sharjah Indian School as part of the school's inauguration.

Sources close to the CM's office confirmed the tentative visit to the UAE on December 22. "He will be attending a high-profile business meet in which about 200 prominent Indian businessmen will interact with the minister to discuss development plans for the state," the source said, adding that on 22nd evening, there will be the New Sharjah Indian School inauguration and public reception in the Sharjah school.

Vijayan will also attend an awards ceremony in which Malayalam superstar Mammotty will be present. The CM is scheduled to return to Kerala on the 24th, the source revealed.

Vijayan has been appealing to UAE-based investors to invest in the state, and recently inaugurated one of the largest shopping mall complex projects in Thiruvananthapuram by the UAE-based Emke Group.  

"We are all looking forward to his visit as the Chief Minister of Kerala," said Biju Divakaran, a Kerala expatriate in UAE. "Nearly a million Keralites reside in the UAE. We expect him to make some announcements to cheer us up."

• Dubai