Abu Dhabi

India on Wednesday, August 28, appointed Pavan Kapoor as its next Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The 1990 cadre IFS officer will replace Navdeep Singh Suri, who has been heading the Indian mission in the UAE since October 2016. "Pavan Kapoor, (Indian Foreign Service: 1990) has been appointed as the next Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates," said Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.

He will take up the assignment shortly, added the ministry.

"I am delighted government have chosen my dear friend and colleague Pawan Kapoor as India's ambassador to UAE. He is a very capable and highly regarded diplomat with a diverse set of experiences," Suri said, adding, "Given the rapid growth that we have seen in the India-UAE ties over the last four years, I am confident that ambassador Kapoor will play an important role in taking them to an even higher trajectory."

Kapoor has served in different capacities in the Indian missions, including Moscow, Kyiv, London and Geneva, over the years.

The diplomat has also served as the ambassador to Israel over the last three years with a new representative being appointed in his place last month.

He has served in the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office in New Delhi in the recent past.

Kapoor was also served as joint secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs of India from 2010 to 2013.

Bilateral Trade

Bilateral trade between the UAE and India touched $60 billion last year with a fairly balanced profile of about $30 billion of exports and $30 billion of imports.

The UAE also hosts the largest Indian community, receives the largest number of Indian tourists and is one of the largest trading partners of India.

The India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership developed during the past four years is expanding into areas like trade and investment, energy, defence and security, and connections between the youth.