Friday, December 24 2004 16:27 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Dubai: External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh begins his tour of three Gulf countries tomorrow (Dec 25, 2004) as part of Indian Government's efforts to hold substantive dialogue with the Arab world.

Singh arrives in Muscat, the capital of Oman, tomorrow on the first leg of his tour, which will also take him to the UAE and Bahrain.

During his visit to the UAE beginning Sunday (Dec 26, 2004), Singh will pay tributes to late UAE President Sheikh Zayed and meet a spectrum of the new leadership of the country to affirm India's resolve to carry the robust bilateral ties forward.

Singh's last stop will be Manama, the capital of Bahrain.

He is also scheduled to address a meeting of 15 heads of Indian Missions in the region and attend a reception hosted by the Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC) in Dubai, diplomatic sources said.

The India-UAE trade has been on the upswing in the last few years.

Buoyed by a sizzling economic growth back home, exports from India to the UAE grew by a whopping 47.2 per cent in the year 2003-2004 to touch $ 4.45 billion in value up from $ 3.02 billion the previous year, according to the Indian Embassy in Abu Dubai.