India has reiterated that the welfare of the overseas Indian community, particularly workers, is its top priority. The President Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil who is on a state visit to United Arab Emirates, UAE and Syria told this to reporters covering her visit.Mrs. Patil is in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates on her maiden visit to the Gulf that will also take her to Syria with an aim to boost India’s ties with the oil-producing region.During her nine-day tour, Ms. Patil will visit Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah in the UAE and will later go to Damascus and Allepo in Syria.Ms. Patil, will be meeting the top leaders in the country later today on a whole range of issues aimed at further consolidating bilateral ties. Mrs. Patil will also be interacting with the business community, both Indian and local, in the UAE to boost the bilateral trade .She is being accorded a ceremonial reception at the forecourts of presidential palace in Abu Dhabi Monday afternoon.In the second segment of her tour, Mrs. Patil will be visiting Syria which will be the first Presidential visit from India. India and Syria enjoy traditionally friendly ties and cooperate actively in the UN and NAM.Significantly, Syria has expressed support for India’s Permanent Membership of the UNSC. India, too, on its part, has always supported all just Arab causes, and has consistently supported the return of the Golan Heights to Syria, which remains occupied by Israel since 1967.