PM has great expectations from Dubai visit

There are benefits to be reaped from the recent visit by a delegation from St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) to Dubai, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Last month, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves led a delegation to Dubai, a city and emirate in the UAE which coincided with SVG’s day at the World Expo 2020 in that emirate.

The delegation included artistes and cultural performers.

“I expect great things to come out from my representations there,” Gonsalves said on Wednesday March 2, following his return to the state.

He said, “from the standpoint of investment and state to state relations, things went very well.”

The prime minister also attended an investment forum in Dubai.

He said the bulk of the issues worked on in the UAE and Quatar had to do with investments.

These included: infrastructure investment, matters concerning urban development, tourism development and the UAE’s possible interest in state owned hotel development.

Issues relating to the Port Modernisation Project were also discussed during a meeting with Quatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifa Aziz Al Thani.

The Prime Minister said when the port project is completed there will be “a lot of real estate where the existing port is.”

“That is a big development project we have to get involved in,” he said.

He explained that one of the possibilities for the area could be the construction of another cruise ship pier.

“I have all the money lined up for the port; I have all the systems in place.”

Gonsalves assured that on completion the modern port will be operated by a state owned company and its shares will be made available to local, regional and global investors.

Matters relating to health and scholarships for Vincentians students were among other issues discussed.

The Prime Minister also visited London before returning home.