Sheikh: India-Saudi ties will continue to grow

[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Sheikh: India-Saudi ties will continue to grow" ids="116286,116285,116284"]JEDDAH — Consul General Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh, under the aegis of the Consulate General of India, Jeddah, hosted a reception to mark the 68th Republic Day of India at Park Hyatt Hotel on Thursday. Ambassador Jamal Balkhuyur, director general of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Makkah Mukarramah Branch, was the chief guest at the reception. Consuls General and other diplomats from various countries, Saudi dignitaries and businessmen, prominent Indians also attended the reception. In his address, the consul general stressed “India and Saudi Arabia enjoy cordial and friendly relations reflecting the centuries old economic and socio-cultural ties. Over 3 million Indian expatriates are working in different sectors such as Hospitals, industry, construction, education, etc. in Saudi Arabia and out of which more than 1.2 million are in the Western region. Indians are, of course, known for their honesty, spirit of hard-work and law-abiding nature and also for their professional competence. “In the recent past, the level of bilateral engagement between India and Saudi Arabia has reached new heights. The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi Arabia in April 2016 laid another milestone of great bilateral relationship between the two brotherly countries of India and Saudi Arabia during which 5 agreements in the field of Labor Cooperation, Technical Cooperation Program, Cooperation in the field of handicraft, Financial Intelligence Unit and Investment Promotion Cooperation were signed. “Saudi Arabia is the fourth biggest trading partner of India and is a major source of energy as we import around 20% of our crude oil requirement from the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia is one of our oldest business partners; our trade relations go back several centuries in time. Today, the bilateral business ties are growing steadily and getting further strengthened by continuous interaction and cooperation, including regular exchange of business delegations. Besides being a major trade partner, India sees the Kingdom as a major pillar for its energy security and an important economic partner for investments, joint ventures, transfer of technology projects. To further strengthen trade relations between India and Saudi Arabia, an exclusive Indian products exhibition “Indian Expo-2017” will be organized in Jeddah this year.” He concluded by saying that India-Saudi relationship will continue to grow from strength to strength. Following his address on the occasion, Sheikh, along with the chief guest and other consuls general participated in the cake-cutting ceremony as well. Indian Council for Cultural Relations ((ICCR)- sponsored Qawwali troupe of Sabri Brothers who came from India also gave a short performance.