PM to address Indian diaspora in UAE visit

Though the news of PM visiting UAE had been doing rounds for days, the official announcement came only on Tuesday.

The Ministry of External Affairs said the PM would visit Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The two-day trip which begins on 16 Aug, is the first Indian Prime Ministerial visit in 34 years.

Further, this is Modi's first trip to an Islamic country.

During the visit, Modi will seek enhanced cooperation in energy and trade.

He would also reach out to investors in the UAE, which has a sovereign wealth fund of more than $800 billion, to promote India as an attractive business destination.

Security is another major area of cooperation between India and UAE, especially with the emergence of the Islamic State as a global threat.

In 2014-15, trade between India and UAE crossed US$59 Bn, with Indian exports worth US$33.3 Bn to the UAE and US$26 Bn worth of UAE's exports to India.

Indians occupy important positions in business establishments in UAE. The unskilled and semi skilled workers from India are a dominant force in their construction industry.

Investment from UAE in India has mostly been in real estate.

Indians in the UAE have chalked out grand plans to welcome Narendra Modi.

The Indian Community Welfare Community (ICWC) is organizing a public reception at the Dubai Cricket Stadium.

ICWC said that an organizing committee has been formed to make it a grand success

A website and a Facebook page have been set up to facilitate people's visit to the site of the reception.

In his two-day trip to the United Arab Emirates, PM Modi will address an audience of 50,000 people in Dubai Cricket Association stadium.

The typical Indian expat of UAE is a blue collar worker who will eventually return to India, unlike his audience in the US.

Therefore, Modi has a real opportunity to address their welfare besides improving trade and bilateral relations with UAE.