The Dubai-India Business Forum, which took place on Monday in Mumbai, was addressed by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry. The event was attended by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE. Goyal welcomed His Highness on his first official visit to India and expressed his gratitude for Dubai’s efforts towards greater social welfare, namely its support for Indian citizens during the COVID pandemic, and its establishment of the first hospital for Indian workers saying, “This is a heartwarming initiative, and we thank you on behalf of all Indians.” He also appreciated the country’s role in enhancing India’s logistics system and mentioned its ongoing investments in Africa to improve infrastructure and connectivity there. He then highlighted the welcoming spirit and deep historical and generational ties between Mumbai and Dubai. He emphasized this point by remarking that this year marks 100 years since the visit of Sheikh Saeed, the grandfather of Sheikh Hamdan, to India. He reflected on the significant bond between India and the UAE, pointing out that there have been six high-level visits between India and the UAE in just two years and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) as a key point of partnership. Goyal said that India is the fastest growing major economy and aims to become a $30 trillion economy by 2047. He asked the UAE to be a key partner in this endeavour through further collaboration and exchange. He remarked that Dubai serves a vital gateway for India’s trade and cultural exchange with the Middle East and spoke of the newly launched IIT campus in Dubai and upcoming plans to establish IIM and IIFT campuses in the country as well. He ended his speech by spotlighting the immense potential in sectors such as nuclear energy, fintech, AI, food security, and advanced manufacturing for both countries and expressed confidence that both countries will make significant achievements in these areas in the coming years.