Swaraj arrives in Abu Dhabi to hold 12th Joint Commission Meeting

External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj arrived in Abu Dhabi late on Monday ahead of the 12th Joint Commission Meeting (JCM), which she will co-chair with UAE's Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Taking to his Twitter handle, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, "Hello Abu Dhabi! EAM @SushmaSwaraj arrives in the fascinating city of #AbuDhabi. EAM would be co-chairing the 12th session of India-UAE #JCM, co-inaugurating the Gandhi-Zayed Museum & interacting with the Indian Community."

The EAM is slated to participate in a string of high-level engagements planned during her short trip, from December 3 to December 4. The EAM will call on the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and inaugurate the Gandhi-Zayed Digital Museum in the UAE capital.

She will also hold an interactive session with the Indian diaspora during her two-day visit.

"India and the UAE enjoy strong bonds of friendship, which are founded on millennia-old cultural, religious and economic interaction between the two regions. In the recent past, with the exchange of visits at the highest level, the relationship has been elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," a statement issued by the MEA noted.

The two countries are among the largest trade partners for each other, with bilateral trade amounting to USD 50 billion. Apart from being the sixth-largest source of India's oil imports, the UAE has a 3.3 million strong Indian community.