PM Modi with Foreign Minister of UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan in New Delhi (Press Trust of India)
The UAE today said it is keen to strengthen ties with India and is looking to invest in programmes like Make in India, Digital India and Smart Cities.
"We are determined to attract more investment into India in various sectors. I am extremely keen to hear and listen from you some of the proposals, especially Make in India, Digital India and Smart City initiatives ," UAE's Minister of State Economic Affairs Reem Ibrahim Al Hashimiy said.
She said infrastructure is a key element in this regard as it opens up markets and opportunities for stronger people-to-people ties.
The minister said that the UAE was "determined" to take its relationship with India "to a new strategic level".
Citing the example of Dubai Ports World, she said: "We want to do more, we have the capacity, the willingness, the drive to do more".
"We hope you allow us to be more entrenched and more involved in your community and your business because the appetite is strong and the commitment is real," Reem Ibrahim said.
Pointing out that Dubai will host the World Exposition 2020, the minister said: "We would need our Indian partners and friends for support to help us achieve those deliverables.
She also highlighted the commitment of the two nations to raise bilateral trade by almost 50 to 60 per cent in the coming years.
Pointing out that the UAE was strongly connected through its ports and airports to almost every other city in the world, the minister said Indian industries could use this as an opportunity to reach out to the African continent.
"I am very well aware of the robustness of Indian businesses in Africa," she noted.