His Excellency Yousuf Ali, Second Vice Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI), reaffirmed the solid relations between the UAE and India, saying: “The UAE and India share a long history of strong relations, which laid the ground for signing theComprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement(CEPA) last year. One of the key objectives of the CEPA is to increase trade exchange by 120% from USD 45 billion to USD 100 billion over the next five years.”

This came as part of ameeting that was organised by the Abu Dhabi Chamber at its headquarters, where the Chamber welcomed a high-level delegation from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). The meeting was attended by members of the Abu Dhabi Chamber’s Board of Directors, including: Masood Rahma Al Masaood Al Mehairbi, Treasurer; Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, Vice-Treasurer, and Nour Al Tamimi, Board Member of the Abu Dhabi Business Women Council.

The Indian delegation, headed by Dr. Gunveena Chadha Assistant Secretary General of the FICCI, included high-level representatives from the FICCI, as well as representatives of more than 30private companiesacross a wide range of industries, which include Agriculture, Chemical, Electrical Equipment, Textile, Pharmaceuticals, Food and Beverages, Sports Equipment, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), and more.

His Excellency Yousuf Ali, Second Vice Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chamber, said: “We are proud of our economic relations with India which centre on mutual respect, friendship and cooperation. We have worked together on several projects and have signed different agreements to strengthen cooperation in vital industries, including manufacturing, SMEs, energy, IT, digitization, logistics, and financial services industries, among others. Our trade history with India confirms the importance of our partnership, especially that India is the UAE's number one trading partner in terms of non-oil exports, accounting for 14% of our total global exports. In 2021 alone, non-oil trade exchange between the two countries amounted to USD 45 billion.”

His Excellency added: “We would like to assure you that the Abu Dhabi Chamber is alwaysready to provide Indian companies with all the support they need to make their business a success. This, of course, comes within the Chamber’s newly announced strategy of playing the role of a policy advocator, a networker and service provider to its member companies.”

Dr. Gunveena Chadha AssistantSecretary General of the FICCI, said: “The meeting today, organized by the Abu Dhabi Chamber, serves as an ideal platform for connecting companies in Abu Dhabi and India and uncovering investment opportunities for the benefit of the two countries. We are keen to drive investment, and take part in different projects and agreements, as per the UAE-India CEPA, which marks the beginning of a new era of success for the two countries. I would like to express my appreciation of the active role that the Abu Dhabi Chamber is playing in attracting, supporting and advancing businesses.”

The meeting comes following the Abu Dhabi Chamber’s launch of its new 3-year strategy spanning from 2023 to 2025, which centres on serving the Abu Dhabi Economy and solidifying its position as the “Voice of the Private Sector”. In line with its new strategy, the Abu Dhabi Chamber aims to empower the private sector in Abu Dhabi and enhance its competitiveness, making Abu Dhabi the first choice in the MENA region for doing business by 2025.

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