Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, supreme council member and ruler of Sharjah, arrived to a warm reception here on Sunday on a five-day visit to Kerala.
Mr. Al-Qasimi, who arrived in a private jet at 3.15 p.m. at the invitation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was greeted with Thalappoli and Pancharimelam at the technical area of Thiruvananthapuram international airport. Mr. Al-Qasimi, later, inspected a Guard of Honour accorded to him by the Kerala Police.
Mr. Vijayan; his wife Kamala; Ministers K.T. Jaleel, Kadakampally Surendran, K.K. Shylaja, and Ramachandran Kadannappally; Mayor V.K. Prashant; Chief Secretary K.M. Abraham; Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Nalini Netto; Private Secretary to the Chief Minister M.V. Jayarajan; State Police Chief Lokanath Behera; District Collector K. Vasuki; District Police Chief P. Prakash; and General Administration Secretary Vishwanath Sinha; Indian Ambassador to UAE Navdeep Singh Suri; UAE Ambassador to India Ahmed Al Banna; UAE Consul General in Thiruvananthapuram Jamal Hussien Al Zabi; NRI businessman M.A. Yusuffali; top officials; and social and cultural leaders were present to receive Mr. Al-Qasimi.
Later, Mr. Al-Qasimi and other dignitaries proceeded to a hotel at Kovalam where he will be staying.
“Still fondly remember his warm hospitality and the good words he expressed about Malayalis & Kerala during my visit to Sharjah last year (sic),” the Chief Minister said in a Facebook post.
Mr. Al-Qasimi will call on Governor P. Sathasivam at 10.55 a.m. on Monday and later meet Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues at the Raj Bhavan. After lunch with the Governor, he will return to the beach resort where the State government will organise a cultural fiesta in his honour in the evening. He will take part in the dinner being hosted by the Chief Minister.
On Tuesday morning, he will call on the Chief Minister at his official residence in Cliff House. Later, he will participate in a convocation ceremony being organised by the Calicut University at 11 a.m. in Raj Bhavan where the Governor will confer the DLitt. degree on him. He will deliver a lecture in the evening in the city.
Mr. Al-Qasimi will proceed to Kochi on a private visit on September 27 and will return to the Emirate in the evening.
