A tweet in Malayalam by Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, soon after his meeting with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Dubai has reaffirmed the close ties between southern Indian state and the Gulf emirate. With nearly 3.5 million people from Kerala in the seven Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, the largest number of over 770,000 Malayalis are in the UAE. 

The Chief Minister responded to Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid thanking him through an Arabic tweet. ".....Humbled by your hospitality and warm welcome...," Vijayan wrote, adding that his state would like to further strengthen the association with the UAE and Dubai.

Besides the tweet, the Dubai ruler also shared the picture of the reception given to Vijayan at the venue of the Dubai Expo 2020 on Wednesday.

The tweet was later shared by Vijayan on his Twitter handle. "The UAE shares a special relationship with Kerala. Keralites are playing a significant role in the economic and developmental growth of Dubai and the UAE," he wrote in Malayalam.

During their meeting on Wednesday, Chief Minister Vijayan thanked Sheik Mohamed bin Rashid for his country's support in the development of Kerala. He also sought more investments for Kerala, promising a better business-friendly environment.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of UAE and Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Sheikh Ahmad bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates Airlines Group and President of Dubai Civil Aviation and other officials were present on the occasion.

Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeev, Indian Ambassador Sunjay Sudhir, Consul General Aman Puri and Chairman of Lulu Group and Vice Chairman of Abu Dhabi Chamber Yusuff Ali M A, one of the richest Indians in the Gulf and owner of the Lulu Hypermarket chain and Lulu Shopping Malls were also present.

(SAM)