India, UAE hold 5th meeting of joint committee on consular affairs

New Delhi, May 15: The 5th meeting of the Joint Committee on Consular Affairs (JCCA) was held on Tuesday in New Delhi, with the Indian delegation led by Muktesh Pardeshi, Secretary (CPV & OIA), Ministry of External Affairs. Khaled Belhoul, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed the UAE delegation.

India and the UAE share a warm, close, and multi-faceted relationship, underpinned by deep bonds of friendship. Elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2017, this relationship spans political, economic, trade, commerce, defence, cultural, technology, and energy sectors, with strong people-to-people ties as its foundation. The UAE is home to over 3.5 million Indian citizens, the largest Indian expatriate community globally.

During the meeting, both sides engaged in wide-ranging discussions to enhance coordination and cooperation on consular issues, including labour, visas, migration, citizenship, and extradition. The UAE delegation provided a detailed briefing on initiatives undertaken to ensure the welfare of Indian workers in the UAE. Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to developing citizen-centric consular mechanisms.

Other topics of mutual interest were also discussed, such as visa facilitation to promote greater people-to-people exchanges and the early conclusion of agreements related to migration and mobility. The meeting concluded with an agreement to regularly exchange statistics concerning each other’s citizens and share best practices on consular matters. Both sides agreed to follow up on the meeting’s decisions and review progress at the next Consular Dialogue, to be held in Abu Dhabi at a mutually convenient date.