Modi in UAE: Indian diaspora eagerly awaiting a Madison Square-like event

Modi’s two-day visit to Abu Dhabi is the first by an Indian prime minister since Indira Gandhi’s trip in 1981.

He said that though there are 700 flights between India and the UAE but it took 34 years for an Indian prime minister to visit, adding: “I promise this will not happen again”.

India is the UAE’s second largest trade partner; the UAE is number three on the corresponding Indian list.

Indians are among the largest investors in UAE real estate, and have helped make Dubai worldwide the busiest airport globally for international transit passengers, with more than 950 weekly flights between the two countries. Some said that they are willing to skip work for a few hours because meeting Modi is a “once in a lifetime event”. “There are no limits to our relationship”, Modi said.

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

Shortly before his plane left from India en route to UAE, Modi tweeted in Arabic: “Welcome UAE, I am very optimistic regarding this visit and I am confident that this visit will enhance relations between India and the UAE”.

Some Indian expatriates said celebrations here of India’s 69th Independence Day were special because “India’s leader Narendra Modi has graced it”.

Mr Modi was received at the airport by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan.

The Indian prime minister was received by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The premier plans to deliver a speech Monday at the Dubai Cricket Stadium. India is also the third largest source of tourists travelling to the UAE.

“The Emirates hosts 2.6 million Indian workers, around 15-20 per cent of who are white-collar professionals”. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty global have criticized the UAE for its treatment of migrant workers, saying that despite government efforts, some employers continue to withhold wages, confiscate passports and provide substandard housing.

However, half of the 2.6 million Indians living in the UAE are migrant workers, according to the Indian Embassy.

Ahead of his talks with the Emirati leadership on Monday, Modi said he wanted to see the UAE as India’s foremost partner in trade and in countering terrorism, noting that both countries have a range of common security and strategic concerns in the region, including extremism. No words will be enough to appreciate their hardwork and sweat over the last many years.