PM Modi may visit Dubai Expo 2020 to cement India-UAE ties

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Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday is pinning hopes on Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepting the invitation to visit the Dubai Expo 2020 to further cement relations with the United Arab Emirates.</p>
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"I do hope the Honorable Prime Minister will accept the invitation to visit Dubai, during this six-month period when the Dubai Expo will be held and take forward the relations between the two countries," he told reporters here.</p>
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The India Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai is showcasing a resurgent India's march to becoming a USD 5 trillion economy.</p>
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“It is a great opportunity to showcase emerging new India to visitors who are coming from all over the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally gave us ideas and a lot of guidance on how to showcase India as a modern vibrant technology driven international economy," trade minister Piyush Goyal, who inaugurated the India pavilion, told journalists.</p>
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India’s outreach has become all the more important in the backdrop of negotiations for a comprehensive trade deal with the UAE that started last month. “The UAE is the gateway to all of Africa and many other parts of the world. The UAE also has a huge Indian diaspora and a huge market in products such as textiles, jems and jewellery, leather footwear, and processed food products, all of which are labour oriented and give jobs to Indians. They will provide economic opportunities to startups. It will be a partnership that will be win-win for both countries," Goyal said.</p>
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More than 190 countries are participating at the Dubai Expo 2020, which will run for six months from 1 October to 31 March 2022. Though delayed by a year because of the pandemic, the Expo gives a sense of business-as-usual with pavilions open for businesses and general audience, though with strict Covid safety protocols.</p>
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The pavilion is not only capturing the vibrant Indian culture and its past but also the capabilities and opportunities that it presents as a global economic hub to domestic as well as the foreign investors.</p>
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It is witnessing participation from a number of Indian states who will be displaying their culture, tradition and tremendous business opportunities along with the top corporate groups from India, and the public sector companies.</p>
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It is also exhibiting the country's cultural diversity, ancient treasures, achievements, and leading opportunities with cutting-edge technologies in one of the largest pavilions at the Expo 2020 Dubai.</p>
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The UAE has allowed India to build a permanent pavilion over 40,000 sq. ft, a privilege given to a handful friendly countries.</p>
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The entire four-storey structure is divided into two parts. The zones are identified based on 11 primary themes – Climate and Biodiversity, Space, Urban and Rural Development, Tolerance and Inclusivity, Golden Jubilee, Knowledge and Learning, Travel and Connectivity, Global Goals, Health and Wellness, Food Agriculture and Livelihoods and Water.</p>