Mohamed attends reception in Mumbai

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, attended a reception hosted by the UAE Embassy in Mumbai, India.

The event was attended by businesspeople and top investors in the UAE.

Also among others present were Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council; Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; and Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court.

Sheikh Mohamed exchanged views with the attendees representing economic, trade, investment and industrial sectors in the two countries.

He stressed the importance of the role played by businesspersons in strengthening the bonds between the UAE and India in various fields as well as utilising investments in a number of vital fields in the best interest of the two friendly countries.

Sheikh Mohamed said the UAE has successful experiences with a large number of Indian businessmen who are currently working in the UAE and contribute to the development process being witnessed by the UAE.

He added that their vast successful work across the UAE and the region, represents a successful role model for all those ambitious to take advantage of the secure and stable work environment in the UAE.

He added, "I am confident that these meetings between the businessmen of the UAE and India will push the relations forward and translate the political understanding into distinguished economic and trade ties, and enhance confidence. I have noticed through my meetings with the Indian officials, including Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, their keenness to boost strategic relations between the UAE and India."

Sheikh Mohamed listened to the queries of the Indian businesspersons and representatives of heads of companies who expressed their thanks for meeting them during his current visit to India. They also expressed their confidence in the UAE's approach towards achieving further cooperation with India.

Businesspersons from the two countries expressed the view that the UAE and Indian companies are ready to build diverse and stable economic partnerships at this stage as well as accomplish new records in the trade exchange field due potentials enjoyed by the two countries.

Among other present were Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy; Saqr bin Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation;  Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy; Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State; Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Council; Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority; Dr. Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Banna, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of India; Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, a number of GCC diplomatic corps and key cultural, art and sports figures.

Finland's Prime Minister, Juha Sipila and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also attended.
 

Mohamed visit opens new horizons for broader trade, investment ties: Businesspeople

The UAE businesspeople have hailed the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to India, and the resolutions that followed his meeting with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On the sidelines of the Business Forum held at the at Taj Palace, Mumbai, on Friday they stressed that the visit of Sheikh Mohamed would open new horizons for cooperation based on strong foundation between the two countries.

Nora bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Federal National Council, told Wam that the visit of Sheikh Mohamed, which came in the wake of the Indian Prime Minister's visit to the UAE in August, "reflects the interest of the two sides to follow up on the resolutions of the two meetings to further strengthen the relations between the two countries."

She added the tour uncovered potential cooperation opportunities between the two countries in the areas of politics, economy and investment, citing that Indian economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and is currently on its way to build a knowledge-driven economy. Al Kaabi noted that the two share a similar strategy to benefit from advanced technology.

Ahmed Al Sayigh, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), said the visit gains momentum at a time when India is experiencing fast growth that could be built on to open new horizons in the economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries. He added, "We, in the ADGM, hope that the market would be a gateway for the Indian financial institutions accessing the Gulf region in particular, and the Middle East in general."

Hani Rashid Al Hamili, Secretary-General of the Dubai Economic Council, said India represents a strategic hub for the UAE, especially Dubai, given the mutual trade. "We, in the council, work to bolster trade and economic cooperation with India in accordance with the vision of the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai."

Al Hamili said the council, during the visit of Sheikh Mohamed to India, signed an agreement with India's Import and Export Bank with the aim to woo investments, strengthen funding of projects and prepare market studies.

He stressed that economic and trade relations between the UAE and India were set for further growth and development in line with the high growth rates in both countries, and within the framework of the strategic partnership between the UAE and India, which was strengthened by the visit of Sheikh Mohamed.

The Business Forum kicked off with the inaugural speech of Ahmed Hareb Al Falahi, Commercial and Trade Attache at the UAE Embassy in India, in which he stressed that the visit of Sheikh Mohamed would achieve positive results in the area of trade between the two countries.

He underlined that the visit presents a strong model of partnership in the world when it comes to economic partnership based on deep-rooted trade relations between the UAE and India.

Mohammad Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, said the Authority is interested in the Indian market, given its huge opportunities, including a large number of Indian tourists travelling to the UAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular. He pointed out that the number of Indian tourists to Abu Dhabi stood at over 250,000 in 2015, and more than 1.2 million tourists to Dubai.

Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Vice-Chairman and CEO of Zensar Technologies, demonstrated the development of telecommunications and technology sector in India, stressing that these sectors were considered the most extensive growth sectors in India and attract investments to scale even better heights in the field of smart government in India, including the use of smart phones in the commercial, economic and service transactions in various fields.

Natarjan called on the telecommunications companies and Emirati businesspersons to take advantage of great opportunities in the sectors of telecommunications and technology in India, especially following the availability of a joint investment fund worth $2bn that has been offered.

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