Indian envoy urges expatriate compatriots to foster closer ties with Emiratis

The Indian ambassador has called on the expatriate community in the UAE to play a greater role in building relations with Emiratis.

T P Seetharam, India’s new envoy to the UAE, centre, next to his wife, Deepa, meet members of the UAE’s Indian community at the India Social and Cultural Centre in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Silvia Razgova / The NationalShow less

ABU DHABI // The Indian ambassador has called on the expatriate Indian community to do more to boost ties with Emiratis.

TP Seetharam said the community was not doing enough to communicate their culture, and the UAE Government had asked the Indian embassy to organise a briefing on India’s history and culture.

“If the UAE has requested this to familiarise themselves about Indian culture, of course, there is curiosity on their part,” the envoy said. “It also shows that we are not doing a good job in communicating our culture to them.”

Mr Seetharam, who took up his post last month, made the comments on Saturday in his first address to the India Social and Cultural Centre in the capital.

More than a thousand people, including Indian business representatives, gathered at the centre to welcome him.

He also urged the community not to overlook the welfare of Indian construction workers.

“We should not forget their contribution,” he said. “The government of India now pays attention to the welfare of overseas Indians. Particularly to those who are less fortunate than us. We look after the welfare of unskilled labourers who are part of our presence here.”

Mr Seetharam paid tribute to the shared history of the UAE and India, and said bilateral relations date back to centuries ago.

“When I met UAE officials, I told them how I grew up on the southern coast of India, called the Arabian Sea,” he said. “And every family in my village in Kerala has a member working in the Emirates or Gulf.

“This old traditional relationship has matured over a period of time. The Indian community’s contribution is paramount in making the UAE what it is today. It is extremely significant and is acknowledged by the people of the UAE.”

The ambassador said he and the Indian minister of external affairs, Salman Khurshid, met the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, in New Delhi last month.

Mr Seetharam said Sheikh Abdullah made it clear that the UAE appreciated the contribution of the Indian expatriate community.

Sheikh Abdullah also said the UAE planned to make a large investment in India, he said.

The UAE is India’s top trading partner. “We [India] import about US$39 billion (Dh143.2bn) worth of goods from the Emirates and export about $36bn of goods to the UAE,” said the ambassador.

And as there are about 2.2 million Indians living in the UAE, the bilateral relationship goes beyond trade.

“Our relationship is not only a large number of people coming here to work but it is a political, diplomatic relationship, which encompasses defence and security,” Mr Seetharam said.

He also urged Indian expatriates to voice their complaints and suggestions to him in person, saying he would meet them at any time.

“This kind of event is extremely important for cross-cultural interactions. It removes any room for confusion, misunderstanding and misinterpretation of what we do and why we do it,” said Mr Seetharam.

The event was attended by Mr Seetharam’s wife and Thomas John, the honorary president of the India Social and Cultural Centre.

“I have never seen such a humble and down-to-earth ambassador who is very accessible and supportive. I know him personally, as he belongs from a very respected family of Kerala,” said Mr John.