Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal today announced that the India Pavilion in Dubai will remain a permanent pavilion. He said, India is grateful to UAE for giving India this pride of place at the planned Innovation District in Dubai, which will represent a symbol of the trust and dynamism of our partnership.

“I thank Dubai for giving India a pride of place at the Expo to create this Marvel In Motion!,” said Shri Goyal, addressing the India’s Honour Day Celebration at the World Expo-2020 in Dubai.

Shri Goyal said the India Pavilion crossed the milestone of 1.7 million footfalls last week, probably the highest amongst the three or four pavilions at the Dubai Expo.

With the UAE contributing about $ 26 Billion out of India’s total exports of over $400 Bn this Financial Year, Shri Goyal said the UAE is India's second largest export destination.

“We hope to see it grow in the years to come. India is the destination for businesses in the UAE. We provide talent and investor friendly policies,” he said.

Underlining the leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE, Shri Goyal said trust is the defining factor of the India-UAE relationship.

“Today we are natural partners due to the complementary nature of our economies and increasing trade will always showcase the synergy that our two nations have, strengthening further our eternal bonds. Our ties will remain vibrant, will grow from strength to strength and in the years to come will showcase huge opportunities for people from both nations,” he said.

Shri Goyal lauded the UAE leadership for their relentless efforts for making the Dubai World Expo a grand success with a footfall touching close to 25 million in the last six months since its inauguration.

“The Dubai Expo will also remain a shining example of victory of courage over adversity,” he said, referring to the two year delay in the staging of the World Expo due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shri Goyal said during the period the Dubai Expo was being staged, India and the UAE negotiated the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the fastest ever negotiated bilateral free trade agreement. Shri Goyal said, on 18^th February, 2022 the two countries signed the CEPA and unveiled the India-UAE Joint Vision Document.

Shri Goyal said India’s prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will open its first overseas campus in the UAE as part of the CEPA pact.

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AM/MS/PK