Indian businessmen in the UAE are looking forward to Indian President Pratibha Patil's visit to the country beginning tomorrow and have stepped up efforts to make it a thumping success.
Patil is embarking on a three-day visit to the UAE, home to about 1.6 million Indians, during which business, political and community-related issues are likely to be highlighted.
Paras Shahdadpuri, President of the Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC) and Chairman, Nikai Group of Companies said India-UAE relationship is a role model for bilateral relationship based on Nehruvian era Panschsheela
Principles of mutual respect between two countries.
"For a relatively small country of 6 million-population like the UAE to become the biggest non-oil trading partner of India with 1.1 billion population in itself is a huge testimony of the robust bilateral relationship between India
and UAE," he told PTI.
"Such high level visits will also highlight the achievements of the Indian Diaspora living in UAE and boost their morale.
There will be more focus given to this important country of the GCC and hence it will induce more investments by businessmen of the two countries.
IBPC is at the forefront of promoting the trade and economic relationship between India and UAE and wishes to play as a catalyst in this growth story," Shahdapuri added.
This is going to be the first UAE visit by an Indian President in seven years, as the last Indian President who arrived here was A P J Abdul Kalam in 2003.
K V Shamsudheen, Director, Barjeel Geojit Securities and Chairman, Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust, said the visit of extreme importance from a business and community perspective.
"India has become the number one trade partner of UAE and she is being accompanied with a very high-power business delegation. This will further strengthen our relations.
She will also inaugurate the pilot project of Indian Workers Resource Centre in Dubai which is has been long awaited by Indian expatriate.
It will be implemented by the government of India in all GCC countries," Shamsudheen said.
Kamal Vachani, Director - Al Maya Group and regional director Electronics Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC), said Indo and the UAE enjoy a strong and friendly relationship.
"India's exports to the UAE have seen multifold
growth since so many years and the major exports are traditional items like tea, rice, leather goods, coffee, marine products, meat, etc.
The export of consumer electronics, hardware and software and IT services have also increased substantially and crossed over USD 1 billion to Middle East countries," he said.
According to him, UAE is a long standing commercial and business hub in the Arab world and is the third major re-export centre in the world.
The UAE market is hence important for India due to the opportunities it creates in re-export market.
"UAE is emerging as the second largest market for Indian products and also Indians have emerged as important investor in the UAE," he added.
Another leading industrialist, Ram Buxani, said the visit is indeed an opportunity for over 1.5 million Indian expatriates settled in this country, some for over several decades.
"Proximity and dependence for trade makes it
imperative for India to maintain healthy diplomacy and high level contacts with UAE which also is a friendly supplier to India of oil related products.
Absence of sufficient infrastructure in India is a great hurdle in furthering export initiatives which with proper use of excellent facilities available generally in UAE,
particularly in Dubai, can be brought up by using the country as warehousing point and subsequently catering timely to global demands and at short notice without wasting time in sourcing shipping facilities," Buxani told PTI.
According to him, Indian industrialists should use UAE as a feeding point to Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and African countries.
"Even USA and Europe, where many of Indian products are not welcome can find markets with some value-added changes done in UAE to Indian products.
A lot can be achieved by such high level visits including a comfort to huge Indian Diaspora living here," he added.