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Saudi Arabia and India are poised to become strong global as well as regional partners with a vision to restore peace and security in the Middle East, Asia and the world at large. “The planned visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the Kingdom in the near future will further strengthen this partnership after the historic visit of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to India in 2006,” said Saudi Ambassador-designate to India Faisal Hassan Trad in an interview with Arab News here. “In fact, the Kingdom’s relation with India is multifaceted with both countries sharing a common perception on various global and regional issues,” said Trad, who will be flying to New Delhi today. A veteran diplomat, 54-year-old Trad has served at several Saudi embassies, including in London and Brussels. He served as ambassador to the Arab League in Cairo from 2001 to 2004. Trad, who was ambassador to Japan prior to his appointment as ambassador to India, has also held several key positions and posts in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his interview, Trad covered the multifaceted relations between Saudi Arabia and India. On the political front, the ambassador-designate said the two countries had, in a broader sense, shown a remarkable understanding on extremely important issues that include a shared vision of world peace, stability and justice. The current level of political and commercial exchange between the Kingdom and India is a significant step that holds wide ramifications for bilateral relations between the two countries, he said. Referring to the progressively growing bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia, Trad said that there is a 1,000-year history of relations between the two lands. “In fact, Saudi Arabia and India share a heritage that dates back several millennia… for centuries, traders from the Arabian Peninsula crossed the Hindukush and the Arabian Sea to exchange commodities and ideas,” he said. Arabian traders, he added, served as a major link between western Asia and the Mediterranean on the one hand and the Indian coast on the other. “Over the years, scholastic and cultural exchanges and religious ties were established, which remain vibrant even today,” said Trad. He recalled that the late King Saud visited India in 1955, which was reciprocated in 1956 when the then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Saudi Arabia. The late Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi also visited Saudi Arabia in 1982. “This will be Indian Premier Manmohan Singh’s second visit to Saudi Arabia, but first as prime minister,” said the Saudi envoy. Singh visited Saudi Arabia for the Indo-Saudi Joint Commission meeting in 1994 when he was finance minister. “But the last 10 years, and especially after the visit of King Abdullah to New Delhi, the two countries have witnessed very intimate and frequent contacts on higher political levels,” said Trad, while attaching great importance to India as an ally of the Kingdom. Speaking about the commercial front, he said that the growth in bilateral relations had been phenomenal in the last decade. Trad pointed out that two-way trade surged over SR76 billion in 2007. This represents a 400 percent increase in two-way trade compared to 2002. “In fact, the economic and commercial linkages between New Delhi and Riyadh have been centuries old,” he said. Predicting an upswing in commercial activities, Trad said that the total number of Saudi-Indian joint ventures exceed 238 with an investment of SR6 billion. “Saudi Arabia is one of largest suppliers of oil to India, which is also one of the top seven trading partners of Saudi Arabia,” said the diplomat. A number of Saudi-Indian joint ventures, ranging from the banking and insurance sectors to the industrial and services sectors, are currently operating in both countries. “These close business ties are being translated into real joint investment opportunities and entities after the liberalization of investment rules announced by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA),” he said. “Not just goods, over 1.6 million skilled and unskilled Indians are working in the Kingdom while contributing to the growth of the country,” he said, adding that the Indian community was the largest expatriate group in the Kingdom. “Indian expatriates, who are preferred in the Kingdom due to their expertise, work discipline, moderate behavior and law-abiding nature, have contributed enormously to the Saudi economy throughout the years,” said Trad. The two countries have also joined hands in promoting joint projects in different sectors including education, he noted. He pointed out that India’s Jamia Millia Islamia University will soon have an ultra-modern multimillion riyal medical center with support from Saudi Arabia. The two countries have also forged closer cooperation in the defense field. In May this year, two Indian naval ships — the INS Delhi and the INS Aditya — jointly participated in a naval exercise with the Royal Saudi Naval Forces at the Red Sea in Jeddah. Asked about the Saudi and Indian position on a host of regional issues, he said that the two countries had identical views on issues affecting the peace and security of the Middle East as well as on a range of other international issues. Riyadh and New Delhi also share common concerns on a host of regional issues like terrorism, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East peace process. “I am happy to say that India is one of the first countries to extend diplomatic and political support to Palestinians so far as the Middle East conflict is concerned,” said Trad. On cooperation in other fields, he pointed out that he would strive to further boost ties during his tenure as ambassador. He said that the Riyadh-based Institute of Diplomatic Studies and the Foreign Service Institute of India had formulated a plan to cooperate in training schemes, joint research and exchange of students. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is also the most important religious destination for Indian Muslims, who visit the Kingdom for Haj every year. “In fact, Indian Haj pilgrims are the second largest group after Indonesia,” said Trad. |
