MUMBAI, India
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thanked the United Arab Emirates for allotting land in Abu Dhabi to construct the first Hindu temple in the Arab country.
Addressing a gathering of Indian diaspora at Dubai’s International Cricket Stadium on Monday, Modi said that the UAE had pledged investments worth $75 billion in India and also supported India’s bid for permanent membership in the UN Security Council.
He also appreciated that UAE’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and five of his brothers received him at the airport.
In his speech, Modi said that India had been a victim of terrorism for past 40 years and the international community now realized the menace of terrorism in recent years.
“Good Taliban, bad Taliban will not work. Everyone must decide whether they are with terrorism or humanism,” Modi said.
“India-UAE joint statement carries a strong message against terrorism. It’s a clear hint to those who indulge in terror,” he added.
He also said that he was keen to make the South Asian Council for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) stronger.
“We tried to bring unity in SAARC. Some people have a problem with that but we are going forward with it,” he said in an apparent reference to Pakistan, adding that India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal had already signed agreement to form greater regional connectivity.
The Indian diaspora forms part of 30 percent of UAE’s population; some 2.6 million Indians working in the gulf country.
