Unwavering support for Muslim unity in spotlight

The Saudi National Day has been hailed by a wide spectrum of society with congratulatory messages and good wishes.
OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanaglou has extended his sincere congratulations to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah praying for his good health to continue his mission of leading “this great nation and generous people and serve the best interests of Islam and Muslims.”
He said the 83rd anniversary of the National Day, the day of unification and construction of the country by King Abdul Aziz, is being celebrated at a time when the Kingdom is enjoying dignity and prosperity under the wise leadership of King Abdullah and continues to achieve progress and comprehensive development in various domains.
He hailed the amazing progress and development achieved by Saudi Arabia in all domains and said the Kingdom has reached a pre-eminent position at the regional and international levels.
He said the Kingdom had confirmed its unwavering policy of support for the Islamic world and endeavors to unify Muslims.
Saudi Arabia has made every effort to assist Islamic states going through hardships.
He stressed that the initiatives and efforts of King Abdullah have shown to the whole world that Saudi Arabia is eager to always be in the vanguard of those who champion the just causes of the Muslim world and to stand sincerely and unshakably by its Muslim brothers, providing them with support and assistance with boundless generosity.
Extending his felicitations on behalf of the government and people of India, to King Abdullah and the people of Saudi Arabia, Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao, said India-Saudi Arabia relationship has been on an upswing trajectory under the visionary leadership of the two countries.
“The Delhi Declaration signed during the visit of King Abdullah took our relations to a new higher level and provided a road map for cooperation,” Rao said.
“The Riyadh Declaration signed during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Kingdom in 2010, reaffirmed the commitment of the two countries for joint cooperation and elevated the bilateral relations to the level of “Strategic Partnership” focusing on political, economic, defense and security areas. The two countries have witnessed steady exchange of high-level visits in the recent times, including the first-ever visit of Indian Defense Minister to Riyadh in February 2012 and that of External Affairs Minister to Jeddah in May 2013,” he said.
Saudi Arabia is part of India’s extended neighborhood. Our geographical proximity, shared interest in the stability and security of our region and complementarities of interests in economy makes India and Saudi Arabia natural partners. I am happy with the current state of our political relations and remain highly optimistic about its future prospects,” Rao said.
He said the two countries enjoy strong economic and commercial relations based on inherent complementarities of their economies. Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trading partner.
The bilateral trade volume witnessed 18 percent increase in 2012-13 exceeding $43 billion.
Saudi Arabia figures prominently in India’s energy security and supplies 19 percent of India’s crude oil requirements.
There exists vast scope for the Kingdom to invest and participate in the economic sectors of India particularly in infrastructure development, energy partnership, petrochemicals, etc.
He said the Indian expatriate community in the Kingdom, numbering over 2.5 million, is the largest Indian passport holding community outside India in the world.
They are engaged in the entire spectrum of Saudi economy and contribute to the development and progress of the Kingdom.
“We are thankful to the Saudi government for hosting them and paying special attention toward their welfare,” he said and expressed his gratitude to the Saudi government for making excellent arrangements for the smooth and comfortable pilgrimage to the Holy places.
“I would like to place on record our gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for announcing a grace period for overstaying expatriates to correct their legal status and for adopting a humanitarian approach toward this issue. I urge all Indians in the Kingdom to avail the facilities available during the grace period. Our objective is to ensure that there is no illegal Indian in Saudi Arabia at the end of grace period.”
The two countries have witnessed steady growth of people-to-people interactions and cultural exchanges. We now have more Saudis visiting India for various tourism related purposes — medical, wellbeing, recreational, etc.
More Saudi students are in India for educational purposes as well. “I have no doubt that India and Saudi Arabia’s bilateral engagement will strengthen and intensify further in times to come due to shared values and interests. This partnership augurs well for our joint prosperity and development and in fact, benefits not only our two countries but the entire region and beyond.”
Saudi Arabia has come quite a long way.
The National Day is a time to reflect and resolve to shoulder our responsibilities as caring, aware citizens, realizing that in contribution and giving lies the growth and development of the country, said Naif S. M. Shalhoub, manager, environmental awareness, presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME).
He said: “The Kingdom has given us a lot — above all peace and security. We should feel thankful and there can be no better way than to dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly for the better future of the coming generation remembering the sacrifices the previous generations made for our welfare, health and happiness.”
Ezzuddin Hafiz, an English instructor, said a majority of Saudi population is young, and should get good education because in learning lies theirs and the country’s future, besides the Kingdom reportedly spends more than 5 percent of its GDP on education, and they should take full advantage of this.
Moreover, there are plenty of opportunities for study abroad, to enhance their knowledge and experience.
He advised young Saudis to focus on vocational education and training.
“Instead of looking for jobs, they should concentrate on establishing their own small businesses, because they will not only create sustainanance for themselves but also generate jobs for others,” he added.