JEDDAH, 11 June 2007 — Saudi-India relations are centuries old and they need to be nurtured and developed beyond the scope of business, speakers told a meeting here on Saturday night.
The scope of bilateral ties could be expanded beyond trade into cultural, educational, sports and other spheres of life, Ghazi Faisal Binzagr of Beit Binzagr said in his keynote address at a symposium on “Partnership in prosperity” organized by Saudi-Indian Business Network (SIBN) in association with the Consulate General of India at the InterContinental Hotel.
The event was held to commemorate second anniversary of SIBN and was marked by the signing of three memorandums of understanding. One of them, between SIBN and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was signed by JCCI Vice Chairman Mazen Batterjee and Amr Hassan Enany, who heads the Enany Group of companies and is the honorary consul general of the Czech Republic. The other two were signed by Enany and Sunanda Rajendran, executive director of Mumbai-based Indo-Arab Chamber of Commerce & Industries, and by Enany and Dr. Mohammed Imran, national president of Bangalore-based Indo-Middle East Chamber of Commerce.
Binzagr, who gave a human touch to the age-old bilateral relations, recounted his pleasant experiences with Indians in his personal life and also at his company in an extempore speech.
“I have not visited India so far,” he said, but he had been interacting with Indians and knew them as “sincere, honest, dedicated, committed and diligent.” His grandmother once told him, “somewhere in the lineage there was an Indian grandmother.”
He mentioned some other Indians who had been working with him and for his company toward growth. He also singled out Hassan Ghias, vice president of his company, and Anil Mehra of Unilever Arabia. “We have a relationship that is centuries old and we need to develop them in all spheres of life,” Binzagr said.
Dr. N. Janardhan, program manager, Gulf-Asia Relations and editor of “Gulf in the Media” at Dubai-based Gulf Research Center, in his keynote address, said with India viewing the Gulf, South Asia and Central Asia as “strategically interactive and interrelated regions,” it was time for the GCC to reciprocate in a commensurate way. “A GCC-India relationship based purely on selling and buying of oil is untenable in the long run. The GCC countries need to take note of the fact that India’s basket of energy suppliers is widening,” he said, adding that with a view to strengthening and diversifying relations, it was imperative for both to acquire fresh dimensions to consolidate their positions in a fast-changing world.
Enany said he took up SIBN’s presidency after being persuaded by its PR executive Asar Khan. “However, after seeing the video clips of SIBN provided by its General Secretary C.J. Shahjahan, I must say it is a challenging task, especially after King Abdullah endorsed the bilateral relationship during his visit to India last year. Which means we will have to live up to his vision.” He hoped the three MOUs signed would further strengthen the bilateral ties and follow many more to come.
Indian Ambassador M.O.H. Farook told Saudi investors to consider India as the best destination for business. “Come and see India and the big role it can play. The country will be the third largest economy by 2020,” he said.
SIBN’s founder President Abdul Khaliq Saeed hoped that SIBN would play a bigger role to promote bilateral business under Enany’s leadership.
Indian Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed said Saudi Arabia offered several attractions to Indian investors, especially after its entry into the World Trade Organization. “I am confident that the vast business potential available in the Kingdom will be taken advantage of by Indian businessmen,” he said. Referring to the recent trends in bilateral relations, he said: “We have not tapped even a fraction of the bilateral potential. Much remains to be done. There are several complementary areas in the two economies that need to be identified, he said and hoped that during Enany’s leadership, businessmen of the two countries would discover newer opportunities for trade, investment and joint ventures.
Saudi executive members of SIBN include Dr. Saud Saleh Islam, Ziad Al-Bassam, Mazen M. Batterjee, Dr. Adil A. Bushnak, Dr. Ghazi Faisal Binzagr, Osama Abdullah El Khereiji, Hany M. Aref and Dr. Asma Siddiki.
SIBN’s executive committee for 2007-08 includes Amassador M.O. H. Farook as patron, Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed as vice patron, Hasan Ghias as vice president, C.J. Shahjahan as general secretary, Dr. Asma Siddiki as joint secretary, Dr. Asar Khan as PR officer and Mohammed Salabat Lodhi as treasurer.
Indian executive members of SIBN include Mehboob Peshimam, Shoheb Kazi, Chander Nain, Shabbir A Patel, M.K. Hasanuddin, Mohammed Khursheed Akhtar, Atul Dua, Aziz Ur rab, Riaz Mulla and Ramesh T. Dhas.
