Hyderabad: Hyderabad, the capital of the south Indian state of Telangana, will soon have a United Arab Emirates consulate.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao directed the state administration to identify and allocate a suitable land and provide necessary infrastructure for the consulate.
He issued the direction after meeting Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in Hyderabad.
During the discussion, the proposal to set up the consulate came up and the chief minister expressed hope that this would help in further strengthening ties between Telangana state and the UAE.
The chief minister also briefed Shaikh Abdullah about various developmental initiatives of the state government including an innovative industrial policy aimed at expeditious and automatic approval of investment proposals. The chief minister also detailed efforts for the development of infrastructure and improvement of the education sector.
According to a press release from the chief minister’s office, the visiting UAE minister expressed keen interest in investments in Telangana and accepted the invitation of the chief minister to undertake another visit. The minister assured him that the next time, he would spend three to four days.
Shaikh Abdullah also lauded various achievements of the Telangana government including putting an end to power shortage and was also impressed by Asia’s biggest lift irrigation project at Kaleshwaram.
Shaikh Abdullah emphasised the UAE’s firm interest in furthering bilateral ties and cooperation for the benefit of the people of both countries.
He also pointed out that the UAE, out of its keenness on boosting ties between the two friendly countries, is soon to open a Consulate General in the city of Hyderabad.
Welcoming Shaikh Abdullah’s visit to India, Rao stressed the Indian government’s desire to advance cooperation between the UAE and India.
He expressed gratitude to the UAE for undertaking development projects in India and praised the prominent standing occupied by the UAE regionally and globally as well as its landmark progress in all walks of life.
Dr Ahmad Abdul Rahman Al Banna, UAE Ambassador to India, and Jamal Al Za’abi, UAE Consul-General in the south Indian state of Kerala, attended the meeting.
— With inputs from WAM
