Visit of Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for External Affairs to the UAE
October 04, 2009

Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Hon’ble Minister of State for External Affairs, will pay an official visit to Bahrain (4-5 October) and UAE (5-8 October) to promote bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation, and address matters pertaining to the welfare of the Indian community with the leaders of these countries. This is the first official visit by Dr. Tharoor to these GCC countries.

In the UAE, Hon’ble Minister is expected to call on His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, and Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Khalid Sultan Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade. Dr. Tharoor will also have discussions with his counterpart, His Excellency Dr. Anwar Gangash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, when bilateral cooperation in different areas will be discussed. He will also address a prestigious business and industry congregation arranged by HSBC / Financial Times Forum on: “Doing Business with India: The Next Wave.”

Dr. Tharoor will also interact with the leading community members and Indian associations including the Indian Business Professionals’ Council, Dubai, Indian Business Professional Group, Abu Dhabi, and the Indian Community Welfare Committee.

UAE is India’s third largest trading partner with two-way non-oil trade valued at US$44 billion. Similarly, it is one of the major investors in India in diverse sectors of the Indian economy such as IT, shipping, ports, real estate, chemicals and so on. Dr. Shashi Tharoor’s visit will reinvigorate our bilateral ties.