Highly-successful UAE promotional tour establishes strategic partnership with India

A promotional tour of a UAE delegation led by Minister of Foreign Trade Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi has succeeded in establishing stronger trade and investment relations with India. Consisting of representatives from both the government and private sectors, the visit covered the four major Indian cities of New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore.
Participants agreed that the six-day tour will enhance communications between Indian and UAE companies, businessmen, and investors and will help transform investment opportunities in both countries into vital projects that will be of mutual benefit. 
Saeed Khammas, Vice President of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry, affirmed the positive results of the discussions made with their Indian counterparts. He pointed out the importance of focusing on Indian’s huge market, which offers vast opportunities for UAE products.
For his part, Abdullah Sultan Abdullah, Secretary General of the Federation, underlined the importance of such tours in promoting UAE businesses and establishing closer cooperation with foreign trade partners. He added that the visit to India would help establish investments into the UAE’s various industries, especially into its non-oil sectors.
Mr. Obaid Saeed Al Dhaheri, Director of International Affairs at Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge), said that the trip provided a great opportunity for his company to introduce its products, strengthen its presence and propose partnerships in major and promising international markets such as India.
Mr. Paras Shahdadpuri, President of Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC) in Dubai, accompanied the delegation throughout the tour and commended its excellent outcome. “This was a perfect platform for trade and investment enterprises from UAE and India to interact, share their positive views, and discuss growth prospects between both countries,” he said.
Mr. Sharief Habib Al Awadhi, Director General of the Fujairah Free Zone (FFZ), thanked the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the UAE Embassy in India for their valuable contributions to the UAE economic and trade mission’s success. He said that the tour provided a cornerstone for attracting more investors into Fujairah and the UAE in general and creating more partnerships with India’s private sector. He expressed his desire to see the experience emulated by other ministries and authorities in the Emirates. Al Awadhi also praised the strong Emirati participation and the competence with which the representatives of the various local and federal bodies presented the UAE’s economic conditions, diverse opportunities and competitive services and facilities.
Mr. Abdullah Ahmed Al Badri, Marketing Assistant Head of Hamriyah Free Zone (HFZ), said that competitive advantages such as freehold ownership, tax exemption, facilitation of capital and profit transfer and attractive facilities for project construction and storage were well-presented. He noted that the full results of the tour would surface in the mid- to long-term, adding that he sensed a great desire among Indian participants to enhance their investments into the UAE and avail of the incentives offered by bodies such as the Hamriyah Free Zone in Sharjah.
Mr. Hussein Mohammad Al Mahmoudi, Director General of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), affirmed the success of the Chamber’s participation and looked forward to the trade and investment prospects it would open up between Sharjah and India. He said that in his extensive talks with the economic enterprises of the four Indian cities, he was able to promote the exhibitions hosted by Sharjah, discuss the permanent Indian exhibition in the emirate, and introduce services and facilities offered by the Sharjah Government to foreign investors. He added that he also encouraged support for the Sharjah Science & Technology Innovation Center in Kochi, Kerala and emphasized the importance of cooperation between India’s investment and economic entities and the Center. 
The recently concluded promotional tour organized by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade was  participated in by around 43 representatives from the Central Bank of the UAE; the Departments of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi and Dubai; the Dubai Tourism Authority; the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company; the Free Zone Authorities in Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah; the Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority; the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry; the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry; private and foreign companies; and the UAE branches of international financial firms.