Thiruvananthapuram: The India-UAE relations were further reinforced with the opening of the office of the Consulate General of the UAE in the Kerala state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, on Wednesday.
The official opening of the consulate was marked by the presence of a number of dignitaries from both countries, including Mohammad Mir Abdullah Al Raisi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Jamal Hussain Al Zaaabi, UAE Consul-General at Thiruvananthapuram; Kerala Governor P. Sathasivam; state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and local member of Indian parliament Shashi Tharoor.
Sathasivam pointed out that a significant number of skilled workers from Kerala were now securing employment in the Gulf countries and that the situation called for upgrading and updating of skills of jobseekers from the state.
Pinarayi Vijayan hoped that the new consulate would streamline the grievance redressal mechanism to address the problems faced by non-resident Keralites in the UAE, and underlined that the large number of Keralites in the UAE had made the nation their second home.
Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said the new consulate was a boon for Keralites and others in south India who earlier had to go to Mumbai or Delhi to get their visas cleared. Besides Malayalees, the consulate is also expected to benefit those from the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Consular officials said that around 50 per cent of an estimated 2.6 million-strong Indian expatriate community in the UAE were from Kerala.
The UAE has significant investments in India, including in iconic projects like the SmartCity Kochi, and in the DP World port, also in Kochi.
The new consulate is the UAE’s third diplomatic mission in India after the embassy in New Delhi and the consulate in Mumbai.
Only last week, Germany had opened an honorary consulate in the Kerala capital. Russia and Sri Lanka also have honorary consulates in the city, and Maldives has a full-fledged consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
The UAE diplomatic office in Thiruvananthapuram is the latest signal of the growing warmth between the UAE and India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a state visit to the UAE last year, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, will be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations on January 26 next year.
