Krishna meets Indian envoys in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, Apr 15 (ANI): During his visit to United Arab Emirates (UAE), External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Sunday met Indian envoys in the region at a meeting in Abu Dhabi.

This was the third such meeting that Krishna has attended since the beginning of the year.

During the meeting, Krishna underlined the need to ensure welfare of the expatriates living in the Gulf region, and urged the diplomats to pay special attention to the most vulnerable among them.

"I would like you to pay special attention to the most vulnerable among our expatriates'. You should be mindful of the yeomen service rendered by these Indian expatriates. The complaints lodged by Indian nationals should be responded to quickly. You must have a robust accountability system, wherein you are able to effectively monitor such complaints and responses by officials," said Krishna.

The meeting focussed on a range of issues relating to India's core interests in the region including energy security, Indian expatriate community living in Gulf, regional developments and cooperation with Gulf Cooperation Council, etc.

The Gulf region is important for energy security, the large presence of Indian expatriates and is a major source of investments into India.

With the unfolding of the Arab Spring, the Gulf region is assuming greater significance.

Deliberations focussed on evolving a robust framework for Indian engagement with the Gulf region for the next decade.

Innovative mechanisms for improving responsiveness of Embassies and Consulates were also considered during the meeting. (ANI)