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Abdulnasser Alshaali, UAE's Ambassador to India on Saturday wrote an open letter on the occasion of Eid to the UAE-India CEPA Council (a bilateral investment and trade facilitation organisation supported by the UAE and Indian Governments).
According to the envoy, the message reflected the resilience of the UAE and the strength of the UAE-India partnership. It also had a message for every Indian in the UAE of reassurance, solidarity, and the certainty that the bilateral partnership will only grow stronger. The Ambassador in his letter wrote that despite Iran targeting the UAE commercial activity in the Emirates had not stopped and essential service were operating normally. "Since the start of this conflict, Iran has launched an aggressive attack of over 2,000 missiles and drones against the United Arab Emirates, with the vast majority intercepted by the country's defence systems. If the past three weeks have shown the world anything, it is this: the UAE has met this moment with extraordinary preparedness, technological sophistication, and operational readiness. Essential services, including energy, water, healthcare, telecommunications, and food supply, have continued without interruption. Hotels, shopping centres, and tourist attractions remain open. The banking sector remains sound, with total assets exceeding AED 5.42 trillion. Strategic food reserves cover four to six months of demand. Commercial activity, the lifeblood of this country and of the Indian business community within it, has not missed a beat," the envoy wrote "None of this is accidental. The UAE has built a national security framework designed precisely for moments such as this. And because that framework has held, more than four million Indians, and millions of other residents representing over 200 nationalities, have been able to continue their daily lives with confidence," he added. The envoy also said that the UAE's economic infrastructure has proven resilient as he highlighted the special bond between the Emirati people and Indians "For Indian businesses with operations, investments, and partnerships in the UAE, the message is clear: our country remains open, stable, and fully operational. Supply chains are intact. Ports and airports are functioning. The UAE's economic infrastructure has proven as resilient as its defence systems. The bond between the Emirati and Indian peoples long predates the concepts of modern diplomacy and nation-states. Our peoples have traded with one another, worked beside one another, and built trust across generations in a relationship that spans centuries and has endured through every period of upheaval and change. The current conflict is no different," he wrote "Today, Indians in the UAE are not a diaspora in the distant or abstract sense of the word. They are neighbours, colleagues, partners, and friends. They have raised children here. They have buried parents here. They have built businesses here, from trading houses that have operated for decades to the start-ups defining the UAE's next chapter. They have served this country, and they have helped shape it. For many, this is not simply a place of work. It is home," he added. The envoy highlighted that India has remained actively engaged with the UAE during the conflict and assured Indians in UAE of their security and safety "For Indians in the UAE, the word "family" is not a metaphor. It is a lived reality. The Indian community has been part of this country's story for generations, not as guests standing at the threshold, but as people woven into its fabric. When His Highness speaks of family, he is drawing upon a relationship built over decades: in hospitals and classrooms, in boardrooms and construction sites, in markets and ministries, in the daily life of a nation shaped, in no small part, by Indian hands and Indian hearts," he wrote. "The Government of India has remained actively engaged throughout this crisis, through its Embassy, through consular channels, and at the highest political level. India is not a bystander in this moment. India is a partner. And I want to assure each of you directly: your safety, your interests, and your future in this country remain matters of the highest priority for both governments," he added. Abdulnasser Alshaali further emphasised that the economic architecture built by the two countries was designed to endure. "Our bilateral trade exceeded USD 100 billion last year, and the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) continues to open new pathways for Indian businesses across sectors, from advanced technology and renewable energy to healthcare, logistics, and financial services. These commitments do not pause in times of difficulty, they deepen. The economic architecture that both nations have built together is designed to endure, and the opportunities ahead remain as compelling as they were prior to this period of uncertainty," he said "It is upon this foundation that the UAE will build what comes next. Resilient, determined, and open for business. The confidence that Indian entrepreneurs and professionals have placed in this country has never been misplaced, and it will not be now," he said. Earlier, on March 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his phone call with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reiterated India's strong condemnation of all attacks on the UAE and the two leaders agreed on the importance of the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. (ANI)
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