RIYADH, 23 May — The Kingdom has indicated willingness to enroll a Saudi cadet in India’s prestigious National Defense College as part of efforts to diversify burgeoning Saudi-Indian ties, NDC Secretary Brig. Dipak Mukherjee told a press conference here yesterday.
Mukherjee is the head of a 12-member NDC delegation currently touring Saudi Arabia. The delegation is one of the six teams visiting various countries to recruit candidates for an 11-month course on strategic studies next year. The college has allocated 21 seats for military officers from various friendly countries.
Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad said the visit stems from the shared perception of India and Saudi Arabia on regional peace.
Referring to his talks in Riyadh, Mukherjee said the delegation called on Lt. Gen. Saleh Al-Mahayya, chief of the general staff of the Saudi Armed Forces, as well as senior officials at the ministries of foreign affairs and planning.
Mukherjee said during the talks Saudi officials expressed strong interest to second a candidate to the NDC. The Kingdom nominated a candidate to the college in 1990. He said it was not possible to recruit more than two candidates from a country since the overseas quota is limited to a few seats.
He described the course as comprehensive, covering all aspects of strategic interests, such as social, political and economic security, food and environmental security, as well as security relating to science and technology. The course is updated periodically to reflect the realities on the ground.
The delegation will leave Riyadh today for the Eastern Province, where they will hold talks with Saudi Aramco officials before rounding off their tour with a visit to Jeddah.
