Indian entrepreneurs should help promote business ties with KSA

On this auspicious occasion of 67th Independence Day of India, I, on behalf of the people and the government of India, extend greetings and best wishes to all Indian expatriates residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I thank Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for adopting a humanitarian approach toward the issues pertaining to the welfare of the Indian expatriates in the Kingdom and also for extending the grace period for overstaying expatriates to correct their legal status.
The embassy has been working with an unwavering resolve to ensure that not even a single Indian expatriate in the Kingdom is illegal, according to the Saudi laws and regulations. To accomplish this task effectively, the embassy has established a robust partnership with the Indian community, and mobilized and activated a network of over 600 non-remunerative volunteers, who worked silently to reach out to Indians residing in far off places in the Kingdom. The managing committees, principals, teaching and non-teaching staff of the Indian community schools have also contributed in our efforts. The media both vernacular and local have been instrumental in our reaching out to the thousands of Indians in remote corners of this large country.
This partnership proves very useful in rendering assistance to all the overstaying Indians in the Kingdom and in the correction of their visa status. The volunteers transcended the barriers of language, region and religion and worked as a team. A subterranean unity in diversity has been at work. So far we have got it right and I’m confident that we will achieve our target well within the extended grace period announced by the Saudi authorities. We still have a long way to go. I urge all my fellow citizens to join hands with me in our efforts to protect and promote the welfare of the people.
Our relations with Saudi Arabia date back to several millennia. The two countries maintained steady contacts at the highest political level. In 2006, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz visited India as the chief guest of India’s Republic Day parade and the two sides signed ‘Delhi Declaration.’ With the signing of ‘Riyadh Declaration’ during the visit of India’s Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Saudi Arabia in February 2010, relationship between the two countries were elevated to the level of ‘Strategic Partnership’ in the realm of political, economy, defence and security. We have since made steady progress in all these areas.
In the field of economy, our relationship is witnessing a robust growth. The two way trade between the two countries is over USD 43 billion in 2012-13, while the Indian exports to the Kingdom have witnessed a growth of over 72 percent during the same period. India meets around 17 percent of its crude oil requirements by importing it from Saudi Arabia. The two countries are committed to transcend their relationship beyond traditional buyer-seller relationship into a mutually beneficial energy partnership. The complementarity in our economies brought about convergence of interests among the business communities of the two countries. The investment opportunities between the two countries are abundant and remain to be tapped to its fullest. As part of our efforts to further strengthen our business relations we are taking the initiative of setting up a ‘Saudi-India Business Network’ in Riyadh and Dammam. I urge all Indian businessmen and entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia to join in this initiative.
I would like to commend the members of Indian community in the Kingdom for their constructive and pro-active role in strengthening our bilateral relations. Indian expatriates in the Kingdom contribute immensely toward the growth and development of Saudi Arabia, a fact well appreciated by the Saudi leadership. I am hopeful that the Indian community would continue to be the ‘most preferred expatriate community’ in the Kingdom for its diligence, law-abiding and hard working nature.
I thank the leadership of Saudi Arabia for hosting a large Indian community and taking interest in the issues concerning their welfare.
I conclude by expressing my strong confidence that the India-Saudi relations will continue to grow and contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond.

Hamid Ali Rao
Ambassador of India