On the joyous occasion of the 75th Independence Day of India, I extend my best wishes to all my fellow Indians in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly those residing in the Western region.
India is completing 74 years of its independence, and we are now just one step away from the diamond jubilee next year.
The Independence Day celebrations have already started in India under the banner of “Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav,” and the Consulate General of India in Jeddah has organized several activities covering a diverse range of themes including culture, business, sports, Hajj and art.
Since we are living with limitations on physical gatherings because of the pandemic, we have introduced several creative ideas and used online and social media platforms extensively to engage with all sections of the community.
As we celebrate this Independence Day, incidentally, strategic partners India and Saudi Arabia are also gearing up for the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship in 2022. The two nations enjoy cordial and friendly relations, reflecting their centuries-old economic and sociocultural ties.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi shares an extraordinarily warm relationship with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Following the signing of a strategic partnership agreement in 2019, the bilateral relationship has only improved. This is reflected in countless examples of seamless cooperation, including India’s support for Saudi Arabia’s presidency of the G20 last year and their joining of hands as the world fights against COVID-19.
The Consulate General of India in Jeddah accords the highest priority to being at the service of the Indian community in the Kingdom and ensuring their welfare. Amid the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the consulate has seized the opportunity to enhance its digital outreach to the community.
It has launched a mobile app called “India In Jeddah,” which is available on iOS and Android platforms and provides easy access to a variety of services. One of its remarkable features is a “digital meeting service,” which allows Indians to schedule virtual meetings with officials from the consulate to address their issues. This saves them a lot of time, money and effort as they do not need to travel from various parts of the Kingdom.
At the same time, the consulate has stepped up its efforts to provide consular services locally to Indians in the Kingdom who live far from Jeddah. To help achieve this it has introduced the concept of a “consulate on wheels,” which conducts frequent consular and community tours of different areas in the Western Region.
I am pleased to say that two Visa Facilitation Services centers have opened, one in Makkah and the other in Jazan, which will greatly benefit the Indian communities in these provinces. More such centers are planned. None of this would have been possible without the constant support and collaboration provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
I thank King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the government of Saudi Arabia for the warm hospitality extended to Indians living in the Kingdom, as well as the support provided to us in delivering consular and welfare services.
I also take this opportunity to congratulate Saudi Arabia for its excellent initiatives to control COVID-19 and for conducting Hajj in a very seamless manner. While thousands of Indians eagerly await the opportunity to perform Hajj next year, India always stands in support of the Kingdom’s efforts to ensure the best interests of pilgrims and others.
I thank the members of the Indian community in Saudi Arabia for their hard work and their friendly and law-abiding nature, which have contributed to the strengthening of the friendship between their motherland, India, and their second home, Saudi Arabia.
I wish good health and peace to the Indian community and to the good and friendly people of Saudi Arabia.
• Mohammed Shahid Alam is India’s consul general in Jeddah
