NEW DELHI, 23 January 2006 — High-ranking Indian officials have welcomed the historic visit of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to New Delhi — the first by a Saudi king in 50 years — which begins tomorrow.
Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed described the visit as “important and historic.” Speaking to Saudi reporters here, Ahmed said India was attaching great importance to the royal visit. He said Abdullah’s visit would further strengthen the longstanding relations between the two countries.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam held a meeting on Friday to review preparations to welcome the Saudi king. King Abdullah will be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations on Jan. 26.
Indian Oil Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, meanwhile, said his country would seek Saudi Aramco’s participation in the refinery project of Hindustan Petroleum in Visakhapatnam in southern Andhra Pradesh state. “Our offer of collaboration in Visakhapatnam is open to Saudis,” he said.
Aiyar hoped to discuss certain bilateral issues with his Saudi counterpart Ali Al-Naimi, who is part of a high-level delegation that will accompany King Abdullah. “The issue of hydrocarbon cooperation is also a component of bilateral talks that are going to be held between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Saudi king,” Aiyar said.
“So far as the oil component of our energy security is concerned, we have a strong assurance from Saudi Arabia that any incremental requirement will be met by them,” he said. The minister further added that 26 percent dependence on Saudi Arabia is the optimal level and now there was a need to diversify oil sources.
Saudi Arabia accounts for almost a quarter of India’s total imports of oil of 1.9 million barrels per day. In 2004, New Delhi bought crude worth $6.2 billion from the Kingdom.
Former Indian ambassador to Riyadh, Mohammad Hamid Ansari, who is a member of the Strategic Studies Center in India, said Saudi-Indian summit talks would focus on security and economic issues. “I am hopeful that the royal visit would have a positive effect,” he told Saudi journalists.
Member of Parliament Najma Heptullah, who has visited the Kingdom several times, said she was looking forward to the king’s state visit with great happiness. She hoped that Saudi Arabia would support India’s bid to win a seat on the UN Security Council. “Our membership in the council will help resolve many issues in the Asian region,” she added.
Well-known Indian journalist and editor in chief of Asian Age newspaper M.J. Akbar emphasized the significance of Abdullah’s visit to India in the light of the Saudi king’s important position in the world as an advocate of peace. “I am confident that the visit would have tremendous impact not only on Saudi-Indian relations but on the continent at large,” he pointed out.
