Andalib Akhter / New Delhi /
Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Adel Bin Ahmed Al Jubeir today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and conveyed to him that Kingdom accorded a high priority to India in its Foreign Policy.
He deeply appreciated the constructive role being played by the Indian community in the development of Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Modi conveyed that India attached high importance to its close and friendly relations with Saudi Arabia.
Both leaders exchanged views on further strengthening bilateral relations, including in the fields of trade, investment, energy, and security cooperation. They also discussed regional situation. They agreed that the two countries have shared interest in peace and stability in the region.
Prime Minister expressed confidence that his forthcoming visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would provide an opportunity to elevate the bilateral strategic partnership to a new level.
Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia is in New Delhi on a two day official visit to India at the invitation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj,
During the visit, the two ministers will discuss the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. Previously, they met on the sidelines of the First India Arab League Ministerial meeting in Manama, Bahrain on 24 January 2016.
India and Saudi Arabia share friendly relations based on close people-to-people contacts. “The ‘Strategic Partnership’ that our two countries established in 2010 envisioned a deeper engagement in political, economic, security and defence areas through the Riyadh Declaration. In recent years, there has been significant progress in bilateral cooperation in key areas of mutual interest, including energy security, trade and infrastructure development projects” MEA said in release.
Saudi Arabia has become fourth largest partner with bilateral trade reaching US$ 40 billion in 2014-15. Saudi Arabia is also India’s largest crude oil supplier accounting for about one-fifth of our total imports.
Indians form the largest expatriate community in Saudi Arabia and their positive contribution in the progress and development of their host country is well recognized. There are over 2.96 million Indian nationals presently working in Saudi Arabia.