Diplomats and other staff members of the UAE Embassy in New Delhi along with friends and well-wishers gathered around a towering flag pole at the mission today to hoist the national flag in celebration of Flag Day.

"In celebration of the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s accession, we intend to adhere to the stringent values and principles of the Union established by the UAE’s founding fathers," Dr. Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al-Banna, the UAE Ambassador to India, said in a message on the occasion.

After a playing of the national anthem, the flag was solemnly raised, with those attending waving flags of the UAE tied to red roses.

Participants then happily examined a black-and-white archive photograph showing the late Sheikh Zayed selecting the national flag from among several designs presented to him. "That is the story of our national flag," one said.