Envoy hails 'evergrowing' India-UAE bonding

Ties between India and UAE relations has 'grown both in depth and breadth', according to the outgoing Indian Ambassador to UAE TP Seetharam.
"The level of interaction is rising and the trust factor is growing," Seetharam said, during an event organised by the Indian Media in Abu Dhabi last week.
The envoy, whose tenure will end on Aug.31, added that a joint working group is being set up to explore investment opportunities.
"The India-UAE strategic dialogue is continuing on various spheres. Talks on investment are going on and there are many programmes being discussed like ports cooperation. There is a joint working group formed by the Indian Ministry of Finance and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority to look into this aspect. The committee will hold its first meeting soon," he said.
In the last one year, the UAE has made "almost $1billion investment in India, especially infrastructure" projects, he said.
He said that a delegation of National Defence College from India is visiting the UAE.
"As part of their course, 12 officers have to visit two countries and the UAE is one of them," he said.
The diplomat cited India's growing participation in the Sharjah Book Fair as a boost to cultural cooperation between the countries.
"Now Shaikh Zayed Heritage Festival will be held in November and there too India will make its presence felt. Also Indian cultural programmes will be held during the UAE National Day celebrations. We will have artistes from India and the UAE to perform on the day."
Free oil reports dismissed
Meanwhile, Seetharam rejected reports that the UAE will offer free oil to India.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has agreed to store crude oil in India's strategic storage facility. It was reported that two-third of the oil will be given to India for free.
"I was surprised as to who told the media about this percentage. Even if there is a deal reached, such an agreement is yet to be inked."
He said that this facility will be of great utility for India. "This stored oil will be used in time of emergency."
Talking about the areas a new ambassador should look into, he said: "Earlier, there were just trade and community affairs but now we have to focus on cyber security, terrorism, infrastructure, renewable energy, national security among others."
"My successor will have a tough task of implementing and facilitating all the projects that are in pipeline. Converting all the projects into reality is going to be a tough task," he added.
At the end of the event held last Wednesday, India Media Abu Dhabi president Anil C. Idiculla and general secretary Muneer Pandyala presented a memento to Seetharam.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com