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By Mir Mohsin Ali & Zakir Azmi Nadvi
RIYADH — Indian Ambassador Ahmad Javed hosted a reception at Tuwaiq Palace in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter to mark the 68th Republic Day of India with Riyadh Emir Faisal Bin Bander as the chief guest.
The event, hosted by the Indian Embassy, began with the singing of the national anthem of India and Saudi Arabia. Diplomats and senior officials of other embassies here attended the event. Prominent members of the Indian community, including the MC members and principals of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam were present.
The Indian Embassy staff made elaborate arrangements, while First Secretary Anil Nautiyal welcomed the gathering. Javed and his wife personally met all the guests and welcomed them. A number of prominent Indians from across the Kingdom too attended the reception.
Referring to the diplomatic relations between India and Saudi Arabia the Ambassador underlined the high level bilateral exchanges on regular basis which have laid a solid foundation for successful transformation of bilateral relations in the fields of political, economic, security, defense, labor and people to people exchanges.
Welcoming the guests, Javed characterized today’s India as a young, aspirational, vibrant and multicultural democracy, as well as, the second fastest growing major economy in the world. While highlighting the importance of bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia which is host of over 3 million Indians the Ambassador said, “It is a matter of satisfaction that the Indians here are considered the ‘most preferred community’ due to their hard work, expertise, sense of discipline, law abiding and peace loving nature.”
He spoke of the numerous areas of bilateral cooperation and stated that India has today emerged as a land of immense opportunities and is heralding into a new era; implementing radical economic reforms towards ease of doing business, and introducing investor- friendly changes in its FDI policy.
He added that the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Riyadh in April 2016 is seen as a turning point in our growing strategic engagement with the Kingdom. Today, the two countries have established institutionalized mechanism of cooperation and made significant progress in the areas of mutual interests.
Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trading partner. The import of crude oil by India forms a major component of bilateral trade with Saudi Arabia being India’s largest supplier of crude oil, accounting for almost one fifth of its needs. A number of Indian companies have been awarded major projects in the Kingdom.
“It is matter of pride for us that the contribution made by Indian community to the development of Saudi Arabia is well acknowledged,” he added.
