Indian prime minister arrives in UAE, to meet rulers

Congress launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in retaliation to his veiled attack against former UPA government. Indira Gandhi was the last prime minister to visit in 1981.

“I am very optimistic about this visit”. It brings together requisite skills and creation from around the world and serves as a fine example of human achievement and unity.

Modi recalled some of the resolves he had made in his Independence Day address past year.

On Sunday, the crown prince broke protocol to personally welcome Modi at the Abu Dhabi airport. Many Indians had come to see Modi at the mosque. It is considered to be the largest example of marble mosaic in the world.

Some Indians said they were willing to skip work because meeting Modi was a “once in a lifetime event”.

The I-CAD Residential Labour Camp houses thousands of migrant labourers from the Indian subcontinent in an area spread over one square kilometre.

The UAE is home to 2.6 million Indian workers, of who around 20 percent are white-collar professionals. The last dignitary to be received by him was the King of Morocco in May this year.

There were opportunities for bilateral security cooperation against extremists, he said.

“So far, like with other Gulf States, India’s relations with UAE have focused nearly exclusively on commercial matters”. This is the way I look at the UAE. “The Gulf region is vital for India’s economic, energy and security interests”. But Narendra Modi’s foreign visits don’t always make news the way they used to in his first year in charge, partly because he doesn’t always take pictures as awesome as those from his China trip, but also because there is an element of Modi fatigue.

But what was more explicit, Anil Padmanabhan, deputy managing editor, Mint says, was the shift in Modi’s speech to Bharat than to India. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia) has announced an initial allocation of $2 billion for investments in infrastructure projects in India and support for the establishment of a strategic oil reserve.

Indians in the UAE are the largest remitters globally, and sent $12.64 billion to their country in 2014.

“I have begun my regional engagement with the UAE. What vision! What remarkable skill!”

“I will be travelling to Dubai on Monday with a group of friends”.

Shaikh Mohammad escorted Modi to the dais where both the UAE and Indian national anthems were played and the military fired a 21-gun salute to Prime Minister Modi.

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