Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan kicks off Gulf tour with Bahrain visit, UAE dates revealed

Dubai: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has embarked on an extensive tour of Gulf countries, beginning with Bahrain as his first destination in what promises to be a comprehensive engagement with the region's large Malayali diaspora.

According to details released by the Chief Minister's Office, Vijayan will be visiting Muscat and Salalah in Oman from October 24 to 26 and Doha in Qatar on October 30, OV Mustafa, director of Norka Roots who is based in the UAE, told Gulf News.

Mustafa, who is currently in Bahrain where Vijayan is addressing a public reception organised by the Bahrain Kerala Samajam, confirmed that the Chief Minister will make two separate visits to the UAE to meet Indian expats from Kerala.

Abu Dhabi programme

The first UAE visit is scheduled for November 8 and 9 in Abu Dhabi, Mustafa said.

On November 8, Vijayan will attend the 25th anniversary celebrations of Kairali TV. Celebrities including Malayalam megastar Mammootty will attend the event at Etihad Arena.

On November 9, the Malayali community will accord him a grand reception at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club.

Dubai leg scheduled

The Chief Minister will return to Kerala and then come back again to the UAE to meet expats in Dubai and the Northern Emirates in December, said Mustafa.

He will be in Dubai on December 1 and 2 and will take part in a community reception at a Dubai school.

Strengthening diaspora ties

Vijayan's Gulf tour is aimed at strengthening ties with the diaspora, according to his office. The Chief Minister will engage with Keralite communities, business leaders and officials throughout his Gulf tour. Representatives from the Lok Kerala Sabha, Norka Roots and the Malayalam Mission will be participating in all the meetings.

The UAE is home to an estimated more than one million Indian expats from Kerala. The state shares warm ties with the UAE and there have been several high-profile visits of UAE leaders to Kerala and vice versa.

Vijayan has paid four official visits to the UAE after assuming office in his first term as Chief Minister in 2016. His last official visit was in 2022 during Expo 2020 Dubai.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, had met him during the visit at the Expo.