Indians in the UAE marked their 74th Independence Day on Saturday. Indian Ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor unfurled the Indian national flag at the Embassy. Following the social distancing norms, only the embassy personnel attended the ceremony. The entire proceedings were live streamed on the embassy’s social media platforms.
There was a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the ill-fated Dubai-Kozhikode flight crash, reports Khaleej Times.
Kapoor, in his address, acknowledged the contributions of the embassy staff, community leaders and members and the role played by the associations in dealing with the pandemic situation and the smooth conduct of the Vande Bharat Mission.
After reading out the President's adress to the nation @AmbKapoor in his remarks, appreciated efforts of Embassy staff, the community & #UAE authorities for their support for the welfare of our people & successful repatriation of over 325000 Indians till date#AatmaNirbharBharat pic.twitter.com/19KFC7DDCD
— India in UAE (@IndembAbuDhabi) August 15, 2020
“I also thank the UAE government and the health authorities for their support. As of date we have sent 325,000 Indians back in just over three months. Now we are at a stage where we have got an air bubble with the UAE and air tickets can be booked by anyone who is wanting to return.”
Kapoor noted the engagement with the UAE authorities ensured that 25,000 UAE residents stuck in India were bought back between July 12 and 25.
“Now with the air bubble, the two-way traffic has opened up. So many more Indians with valid visas for the UAE can come back. So we are moving to a stage of slightly greater normality,” he added.
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