H.E. Salem Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), received H.E. K. Kalimuthu, Consul (Economic, Trade, and Commerce) at the Consulate General of India in Dubai, to discuss prospects for economic and investment cooperation and ways to increase the volume of trade exchange, and to discuss opportunities for organizing joint forums aimed at opening channels of direct communication between business owners and investors from both countries.

The meeting was attended at the headquarters of the Ajman Chamber, Mohamed Ali Al Janahi, Executive Director of the Trade Development and International Relations Sector, and Khaled Al Shamsi, Director of the Economic Studies Department. This meeting is a part of the Ajman Chamber's efforts to develop a network of global economic relations that support opportunities for expansion, business development and promotion of the emirate as an ideal destination for investment.

At the beginning of the meeting, H.E. Salem Al Suwaidi welcomed the attendees and praised deep-rooted India–United Arab Emirates relations and their direct impact on the continuous growth of all areas of cooperation and partnership between the two countries. He also praised the existing economic relations between the two countries, which are crowned by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), as well as the strong investment flows that reflect the volume of relations and cooperation between the two countries.

Statistics indicate that the volume of UAE-India trade exceeds AED 160 billion during 2021, the value of exports from Ajman to India increased by 11% in 2022 compared to 2021, and the value of re-export increased by 18% during the past year compared to 2021.

Mohamed Al Janahi gave an overview of the most important advantages and competitive elements of the Emirate of Ajman to attract investors, the most important of which is its middle geographical location and the availability of a government service environment characterized by flexibility and speed of completion of transactions and an integrated infrastructure of roads, bridges, energy, and communications networks. Ajman has also a diversity of investment opportunities in the industry, trade, tourism, education, health, and other sectors.

He stressed that Ajman is keen to attract Indian investors who wish to start their businesses in the emirate, as the number of investors in Ajman has reached nearly 8,000 investors in 2022.

For his part, H.E. K. Kalimuthu praised the diversity of investment opportunities available in Ajman and the high development of its infrastructure, which will open horizons for economic and investment cooperation between India and Ajman. He also explained that the potential of both countries will increase the opportunities for cooperation between business owners and remarkably open the way for investors.

The meeting recommended the importance of exchanging investment trade missions and delegations and holding specialized forums for business owners and investors with a view to discussing cooperation and partnership to develop the volume of intra-trade during 2023 and exchanging experiences and best practices of both parties

The meeting concluded with the exchange of commemorative shields and souvenirs between H.E. Salem Al-Suwaidi and H.E. K. Kalimuthu.

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