Someone rightly referred to Indo-UAE ties as being more familial, less diplomatic. It’s a relationship based on emotions and commitments, and goes way beyond the structured call of protocol. With over 38 per cent of the population in the UAE comprising of Indian expats, the mutual feelings of “being invested in each other” is but a natural and very organic progression. Recent touchpoints like the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), alongside a host of other MoUs and framework agreements, have only bolstered the solid foundation.

The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the oldest industry lobby in India that has been facilitating business and promoting economic growth, organized the India-UAE Business Forum in Dubai on 29 May, where a panel of thought leaders spoke eloquently about how pivotal collaborations between the two countries have come of age, how both stand to gain from the syntheses, and how the ultimate beneficiary will be the entrepreneurial global Indian.

Setting the bar for the Indo-UAE alliance was ICC president Ameya Prabhu. Prabhu spoke about being in Siliguri — in the north of West Bengal — sometime back, where he realized that the flight from Mumbai to Siliguri was longer than a flight from Mumbai to Dubai. “Which shows you how connected India is to the UAE, not just culturally or from a business point of view, but also physically”, from the point of proximity. “Indians in the UAE come from all over the country, I see people from every state in India here, and the best part is that there are flights from the UAE to almost all of those places,” he added.

Prabhu then shared his “bullish” thoughts as to why he believes India is THE most exciting market in the world today. “The real changes are happening at the ground level in India — not what you see on Power Point presentations… these are the changes that will unlock tremendous growth… there will be growth in every corner, and, as an investor, there is no better place to consider than India. And there’s no better place than the UAE to be doing it from.”

The concept of entrepreneurship has pivoted. Back in day, when it came to business, most Indians looked at Singapore, London or even Mauritius, he pointed out, “but now the UAE is becoming the base for entrepreneurship”. In fact, when you look at Dubai, you are looking at entrepreneurship: “to build a city from nothing and to make it a global hub is one of the greatest examples of entrepreneurship ever”.

Today, Dubai is the world’s business hub, flush with global capital, and the UAE is the harbinger of ever-evolving prospects. And thanks to the robust and strategic partnership created by the leadership of both countries, “the UAE is a natural extension for Indians to go global… India may be the most exciting market to be in today but if you are looking at going global from an Indian perspective, there’s no better place than being in the UAE.”  (This is an ongoing series from the India-UAE Business Forum, stay tuned in for more updates.) – The writer is Consulting Editor of nrifocus.com