JEDDAH, 22 November 2004 — India and Saudi Arabia are entering a new era of friendship and cooperation, an Indian leader said here. The upswing of the relationship is largely due to the emphasis of the new Congress-led government in fostering stronger ties with the Middle East and Gulf.
“The Indian government attaches great importance to the Middle East, particularly, Saudi Arabia,” said Wasim Ahmad, a senior Congress party leader.
“This was the reason Saudi Ambassador to India Saleh Mohammed Al-Ghamdi was the first among the foreign envoys to meet India’s new External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh,” he said.
The meeting puts into perspective India’s bid to set up new strategic partnership based on common values and aspirations with the Kingdom. They discussed various issues of bilateral interest. The meeting also underscored the change in the dynamics of the ties between the two great nations in the post-Cold War world, Wasim said.
Congress heads the ruling secular alliance in New Delhi. This factor provides a new rhythm to political engagements between the two countries, said Wasim, a member of the Congress Working Committee and a former member of the Rajya Sabha. He was in the Kingdom to perform Umrah.
He said Congress party President Sonia Gandhi was also keen on boosting Indo-Saudi ties and a meeting between Sonia and the Saudi ambassador had been finalized. Further high-level meetings and exchange of ideas are being planned between the two nations.
“We are working to arrange visits of top Indian leadership to Riyadh as well as visits of Saudi leaders to Delhi to give a new rhythm to Indo-Saudi relations,” Wasim said. “Furthermore, I met a lot of Saudi academics, leading journalists and religious leaders during my stay here and they all have agreed to visit India and deliver a series of lectures ranging from Indo-Saudi ties to Islam and the global situation in the post-Sept. 11 era,” Wasim said.
Wasim highlighted the strong bonds between India and Saudi Arabia, calling it “very old and matured”. He said, “Brotherly ties between India and Saudi Arabia are deep-rooted. There is evidence of contacts between the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Peninsula even before recorded history.
On the commercial front, the two countries have reported growth over the years, Wasim said.
“India and Indian Muslims have been getting King Fahd’s unwavering support and during his reign Indo-Saudi ties have grown stronger. This is evident with 1.5 million Indian expatriates working harmoniously in the Kingdom while remitting $4 billion to India every year.”
That the Indian community is numerically the largest in the Kingdom is a vote of confidence in India and the Indian people. The emergence of India as a leading information technology player has also helped change Saudi perceptions about this country considerably, Wasim said.
On political front back in India, Wasim exuded confidence that the people are tiring of the divisive politics practiced by major parties and are now switching their trust back to Congress. The party (Congress) is also working on every level to fulfill the trust reposed in it.
He also praised the new emerging leadership in Congress, particularly Rahul Gandhi, who electrified the Uttar Pradesh electorate with his “unassuming and gracious style” during electioneering for the recent parliamentary elections. “He has provided a new impetus to Congress in Uttar Pradesh. And the party will be marching to power in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh),” he said.
Wasim was confident that the state will spring a surprise in the coming assembly elections, and added that Congress was ready to forge alliance with like-minded parties.
