Naidu’s UAE Tour Ends on Promising Note

Vijayawada:Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates concluded on a positive note on Friday, paving the way for a renewed trade and investment partnership between Andhra Pradesh and the Gulf nation.

Naidu held a series of meetings with UAE ministers and business heads, inviting them to explore investment opportunities across various sectors in Andhra Pradesh.

Meeting UAE’s minister of economy and tourism Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Naidu discussed initiatives to strengthen trade, infrastructure, and logistics cooperation. He sought UAE’s partnership in enhancing AP’s digital governance and citizen services using Artificial Intelligence. Both sides agreed to cooperate through the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) and promote innovation by linking the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub with Dubai Silicon Oasis.

Minister Al Marri expressed willingness to work with AP on food security initiatives.

In another meeting, UAE’s minister of state for foreign trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi spoke of strengthening India-UAE trade ties and showed interest in investing in Amaravati. He said a special team would visit Andhra Pradesh soon to assess opportunities in sectors like food processing, renewable energy, petrochemicals and real estate.

The CM also met Deepa Raja Carbon, MD of Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, and discussed collaboration in digital economy, fintech, blockchain and crypto currency regulation. He proposed a joint framework for virtual asset regulation and blockchain-based citizen services, which received a positive response.

The Chief Minister held talks with Crown LNG CEO Swapan Kataria on LNG and green energy partnerships; and with Tristar Group CEO Eugene Mayne on logistics, fuel transport and green fuel corridors. He cited Andhra Pradesh’s long coastline and port-led industrial potential.

Naidu also invited Aster Group founder Dr Azad Moopen to invest in healthcare infrastructure and medical education projects. He met Apparel Group CEO Neelesh Ved to discuss opportunities in textiles, garment manufacturing and retail. Both business leaders expressed keen interest in exploring investments in the state, an official release said.

The CM received a rousing reception from Telugus across the Gulf region at a grand Telugu Diaspora gathering held at Le Méridien Hotel, Dubai, on Friday. The event, which marked the final leg of his UAE tour, drew an overwhelming response with thousands of Telugu expatriates attending the event - from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar.

Addressing the gathering, Naidu said the Telugu community had an indomitable spirit and would soon emerge as the ‘number one’ ethnic group globally. “Wherever Telugus live, they must always be at the forefront,” he remarked.

Naidu claimed that he had promoted the IT revolution three decades ago, which helped place Telugu professionals across the world in leading positions. “Today, icons like Satya Nadella head global giants such as Microsoft,” he said.

The CM lauded the contributions of the Telugu NRIs to Andhra Pradesh and recalled their support to him during the 2024 elections, which played a big role in the alliance parties’ victory.

Expressing happiness over the huge turnout, he said it was heartening to see expatriate Telugus travelling from across Gulf nations to take part in the Dubai diaspora celebration.

Highlighting Andhra Pradesh’s progress, Naidu noted that while Abu Dhabi and Dubai have transitioned from oil economies to tourism and knowledge economies, Andhra Pradesh too was charting an ambitious new growth path. He mentioned that with over 1.5 lakh hotel rooms, Dubai had built a thriving hospitality sector — something Andhra Pradesh aimed to replicate in tourism infrastructure development.