ABU DHABI/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thousands of Indian expatriates in the UAE have registered for a mega event in Dubai on Monday to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit the Gulf country in 34 years.
Organisers of the event to be held at the Dubai Cricket Stadium are expecting a crowd of around 50,000.
Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit the United Arabe Emirates (UAE) after Indira Gandhi in 1981, is expected to arrive in Abu Dhabi on August 16 and will visit Dubai the next day.
Modi is paying an official visit to the UAE at the invitation of General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Modi will also meet Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, during the visit.
The talks are set to focus on trade, investment and security cooperation and also the large Indian diaspora, said sources.
The public reception is expected to be a grand event similar to the community events Modi addressed in the US, Canada, Australia and other countries which he has traveled to since elected to office in May last year.
Meanwhile, preparations are in full speed for Monday's mega event with food courts being set up and canopies erected at the Dubai Cricket Stadium. Keeping in mind the rising temperature, the organisers are to install mist fans and water dispensers at the venue.
Thousands of Indian expats register for PM Narendra Modi's Dubai reception - The Economic Times
Another mega event! This would be interesting especially being the first time he would be visiting a Muslim country.