India has sought to re-define and further strengthen its bilateral economic ties with the United Arab Emirates, UAE. Addressing members of the Indian community at the India Social and Cultural Centre in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening, the President Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil asked the captains of industry in the UAE to invest in India’s infrastructure segment. Reminding them that the Indian macro-economic fundamentals are sound and seek to further expand its growth, she observed that the country’s infrastructure financing needs are estimated to be 1 trillion US Dollars in the next five years. She stressed that India offers a large and a growing market for the gulf country. She also asked the Indian community to retune itself and remain responsive to the changing needs of the host country. She said, the UAE will remain as one of the largest trading partners for India and a gateway for Indian exports to the region. Praising the expatriates, Mrs. Patil said that India and the UAE were engaged in continuous dialogue on various matters concerning Indian labour. She said that there is already an existing Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries and fresh measures are also being taken for the welfare of Indian workers in the UAE. The president said, she will be launching, the Indian Workers’ Resource Centre, to provide a 24 hour helpline and counseling services for Indian workers in the UAE. This will be an important step to take the grievance redressal mechanism to the doorsteps of the large number of Indians, who are in distress and in need of urgent assistance. Earlier in the day, Mrs. Patil was accorded a warm ceremonial welcome .She arrived in United Arab Emirate capital Abu Dhabi on her maiden visit to the Gulf last evening in her first leg of journey. She was given a ceremonial welcome and presented a guard of honor at the Al Mushrif Palace. Her UAE counterpart, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, received her. Both the leaders also discussed various regional, bilateral and global issues.