JEDDAH, 30 June 2003 — Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad yesterday called for easing the visa issuing procedure for businessmen. “Some of the visa seekers were top businessmen in India and wanted to come here to explore business prospects. They were certainly not potential overstayers,” he said in his address at the Jeddah Meridien Hotel at the launch of a new magazine — “Investment Trade Opportunities India” — published by the Indian Consulate.

The ambassador, who will move to India’s embassy in Oman at the end of July, said a high level delegation of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry would visit India in October. “This follows some successful business missions from the Kingdom and signifies growing bilateral business interaction. Several businessmen from the Kingdom and other parts of the Gulf will be going to India for a GCC-India conference scheduled in Bombay in February,” he said.

The ambassador, who was accompanied by Consul General Syed Akbaruddin, said the Kingdom and other parts of the Gulf had been looking to India and other Eastern countries for business deals and tie-ups, especially since Sept. 11, 2001.

“India is now a major world player and increasingly favored by the Kingdom in particular and the world in general, not only for its political ethos but also because the country tops with its technical and human resources.

“Indians top the list of expat communities in the Gulf with 3.5 million, including 1.5 million in the Kingdom. And so major efforts will be needed on the part of both countries to develop a business-friendly approach,” the ambassador pointed out.

He said 55 joint ventures were initiated between businessmen of the two countries over the past three years, especially in the IT and industrial sectors. He noted that business and technical cooperation between the two countries would get a further boost by exploring new areas for investment and trade.

Arab News Editor in Chief Khaled A. Al-Maeena, speaking on behalf of the magazine’s advisory board, said both the Kingdom and India had a lot to offer to each other. “For years, we depended on the West, especially America, for our needs. There is a lot of goodwill here for India.”

Turning to Dr. Adil Bushnak, president of the Bushnak Group whose Ateico Communications is publishing the magazine, Al-Maeena said: “Dr. Bushnak is a leading water expert and we need such expertise in our efforts to diversify from oil and oil-based industries to utilities such as water and electricity.”

Dr. Bushnak spoke about his business and social relations with India and said the magazine had been established to focus on major investment opportunities for local businessmen. “With India having an advanced level of professionals and technologies, and the Kingdom involved in the development of new business areas, the future holds much of mutual benefit for both countries.”

Riaz Mulla, general manager of Ateico Communications and editor of the magazine, said that the bilingual Arabic-English quarterly publication’s objective was to be a guide for traders and investors with updated information obtained from official sources.

The inaugural 100-page issue is in color and printed with a foreword from the ambassador and a message from the consul general.