NEW DELHI, 26 March 2007 — Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed ibn Rashid Al-Maktoum arrived on a two-day state visit here yesterday. He was received by Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed at the Air Force Station at Palam.
Visiting India at the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Al-Maktoum is accompanied by a high level official and business delegation, including seven ministers. The visit is expected to strengthen bilateral ties with India at all levels.
The two sides are expected to sign key agreements in political and economic areas after Al-Maktoum holds talks with Manmohan at Hyderabad House today on a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including terrorism and the Middle East peace process.
Sources said the UAE and India were expected to sign a double taxation protocol and a visa avoidance agreement on government officials and diplomats holding the passports of either country to ease visits to the other country.
India and the UAE are also discussing agreements on customs cooperation, exchange of prisoners (an extradition agreement already exists) and an agreement on combating international terrorism, money laundering and other crimes, sources said.
Describing the visit as “historic,” UAE Ambassador to India Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Shehhi said it reflected the “strong desire” of the two countries and their people to consolidate mutual cooperation and understanding.
The time has come for both India and UAE to “move forward to forge an alliance that will help build our future as well as assist India in its phenomenal economic growth.”
Emphasizing that UAE-India relations extended beyond the remittances from Indians working there, he said: “How can some 1.4 million Indians living in the UAE not be our family? They have done so much for the UAE that we are indebted forever. We are grateful to India for being our friend.” Remittances to India from UAE in 2006 were estimated at $6 billion.
With the visit regarded as “historic” and a “landmark event,” diplomatic sources said: “The visit is expected to substantially strengthen bilateral ties and enhance the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.”
“I am confident that Shaikh Mohammed’s first state visit to India will provide a unique opportunity to inform its public about the UAE and our long-standing bonds with Emiratis,” C.M. Bhandari, Indian envoy to the UAE, said.
Al-Maktoum will meet President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam today. He will also meet United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
