Proposed Saudi mission scheduled for Hyderabad

Indian expatriates from the south Indian city of Hyderabad welcomed Saudi Arabia’s intent to open a consulate in the historic Muslim metropolis.
Saudi diplomats in India are working with the state government to facilitate the opening of the consulate in 2013, as reported by the Times of India newspaper. The local government has offered to allocate land for the consular building. A consulate in Hyderabad will provide valuable services for the large number of Indians from Andhra Pradesh currently employed in the Kingdom.
Mohammed Abdulsattar, a senior public relations specialist at the Jubail-based Saudi International Petrochemical Company said, “The news about the proposed Saudi consulate in Hyderabad is wonderful.”
Hyderabad has a long relationship with Saudi Arabia. “Hyderabadis were among the first expatriates to land in Saudi Arabia in the late 1960s and early 1970s,” said Abdulsattar, a quintessential Hyderabadi. “They continue to migrate there,” he added.
Many longtime Hyderabadis say their community outnumbers all other communities in the Kingdom. However, official statistics suggest Keralites are the single biggest expat community in Saudi Arabia.
“It is about time for Saudi Arabia to open a consulate in Hyderabad,” said Abdulsattar. “At the moment people have to travel to Mumbai or Delhi to get their visas stamped or hire agents to manage their paperwork for them.” The new consulate will ease Saudi-bound travelers’ hardships. “It is great news for all who call Hyderabad our home,” he said.
Syed Waheed Lateef, general manager of the well-known Azmeel Travel Company, was full of praise for Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“They are primarily responsible for strengthening the relationship between our two countries,” he said. “The Saudi consulate in Hyderabad will add another feather to the colorful Indo-Saudi cap.”
So far, five countries — the Unites States, United Kingdom, Turkey, Russia and Iran — have consulates in Hyderabad. The state government intends to create a separate diplomatic enclave to house all consulates.