In his speech at the event, Ahmad said Saudi Arabia, which is home to nearly two million Indians, is the largest Indian passport holding community located abroad. He added that this is indicative of the preferences of local employers and that there are presently 5.5 million Indian expatriates in the Gulf countries, as against three million 10 years ago.
“I am honored to serve as an ambassador to this country for the second time,” said Ahmad, who was India’s consul general in Jeddah before.
He said he has the “unique distinction” of serving his country for the longest period of time as a diplomat, adding that he has selected the GCC region as his area of specialization.
“Both India and the Gulf have benefited from each other’s strong ties because of age-old bonds.”
He described Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to the Kingdom, which came 28 years after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s tour, a tremendous success.
“Singh not only got an unparalleled reception in this country’s diplomatic history but it resulted in the signing of some vital cooperation deals that will further boost bilateral relations,” he said.
Indians are preferred in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Gulf as they are considered honest and sincere workers. Worldwide, India’s status as a multicultural and pluralistic democracy, its emergence as an economic power, and achievements in science and technology, especially space science as well as IT, have impressed various countries.
“India has been importing 70 percent of its oil from the Gulf, the Kingdom being the largest supplier, and this will increase to 80-85 percent in the next two or three years. India’s trade with the GCC had also reached a whopping figure of $187 billion,” he said, emphasizing that India and the Kingdom share identical views on political issues relating to the Gulf.
