Thiruvananthapuram: The recently opened UAE Consulate General in Kerala organised its first celebration of the UAE National Day in a grand manner.
A large number of people, including senior Kerala Government officials and senior diplomats at the consulate, attended the function.
Senior Kerala cabinet ministers, T.M Thomas Isaac and Kadakampally Surendran, and senior UAE diplomats led by Jamal Hussain Al Zaabi, the UAE Consul-General at Thiruvananthapuram, jointly cut the cake at the event.
Minister Surendran read out the message of the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who could not attend the function as he was away from the city. The deep-rooted relations between Indian and the UAE have benefited Kerala by many means, Vijayan said in his message. Keralites also have played a role in the growth of the UAE. The cultural relations between both nations will grow further, said the chief minister, and he promised his support for the same.
Popular singer M.G Sreekumar sang a song at the event. Famous magician Gopinath Muthukad performed a magic show and presented a laser show depicting the history of the UAE.
The consulate was opened on October 19 as the UAE’s third diplomatic mission in India after the embassy in New Delhi and the Consulate General in Mumbai.
As Gulf News reported, the consulate started issuing employment visas to some categories of prospective Indian employees coming to the UAE under a newly introduced system in November.
The prospective domestic help and blue-collar workers can directly collect the employment visa from the consulate by submitting a reference number they received from the employer in the UAE.
