THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor P Sathasivam on Wednesday inaugurated the consulate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the capital.
In his inaugural address, the Governor said that besides Kerala, the functioning of the consulate would benefit other South Indian states as well. Sathasivam also asked the consulate to tap the potential of the state in the tourism and education sectors.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who delivered the keynote address, said that Arabia was second home to the people of Kerala. He recalled the strong ties between UAE and Kerala ever since the Emirates came into existence.
The Chief Minister hoped that the Consulate would help address the problems of Keralite workers in the UAE and would play a key role in tapping the state’s IT potential and also in the growth of the Smart City project in Kochi.
UAE Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Mohammad Mir Abdullah Al Raisi, UAE Ambassador to India Ahmed Al Banna, Consul General Jamal Hussein Al Zabi, Shashi Tharoor MP and Norka ROOTS vice-chairman M A Yusuffali were among those who spoke on the occasion.