Pranab Mukherjee arrives in the UAE

Dubai, May 12 : Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived here on Monday on a three-day visit to take bilateral interactions between India and the UAE forward.

Mukherjee, who arrived here from South Africa, was received by India's Ambassador to the UAE, Talmiz Ahmed, Consul-General in Dubai Venu Rajamony and other officials.

He will meet UAE President Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan in the capital on Monday.

"The visit of the External Affairs Minister to the UAE is part of the ongoing dialogue between the two countries," Ahmed said, adding the economic relations between the two states is growing fast with the two countries deciding to step up two-way trade.

Though no agreements were expected to be signed during the visit, the talks were likely to focus on political and economic relations between the two states.

In the past year, there has been a spate of high-level visits, beginning with the visit of the UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum in March 2007 to New Delhi, followed by a visit by the UAE Foreign Minister Al Nahyan in June.

Mukherjee will address a gathering at the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research in Abu Dhabi, on "Indian Foreign Policy and India-Gulf relations- Meeting and Challenges of the 21st century" this evening.

He will also meet the Indian and Emirati businessmen at a dinner hosted at Dubai World Trade Centre Club on Tuesday.

ANI