India-Saudi Arabia relations have grown from strength to strength

On the happy occasion of the 75th Republic Day of India, I extend warmest greetings and felicitations to all Indian citizens, persons of Indian origin and friends of India in Saudi Arabia. May this milestone inspire continued growth, prosperity and harmony for the nation.

As a nation, we are proud of our civilizational roots and our cultural ethos. Over the centuries, the Indian civilization has not only provided a home to all of the convergent philosophies of the world but also helped in the evolution of new concepts and ideas. Indian culture and civilization has continued to inspire the world throughout history. India has always believed in co-existence under the philosophy of “Vasudhaive Kutumbkam,” meaning that the whole world is one family.

India is the largest democracy and has the world’s lengthiest constitution. The constitution of India provides the country with the core democratic principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, nurturing a pluralistic society, embracing diversity and committing to provide equal opportunities for all its citizens.

In modern times, as a comparatively young nation, India has emerged as one of the leading countries on the global stage in terms of educational, scientific, technological and economic progress, making it one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. A conducive domestic policy environment, tax reforms, ease of doing business and the government’s focus on structural reforms and massive infrastructure upgrading have infused a new momentum into the Indian economy. Today, India is one of the most favored destinations for foreign direct investments. India is also becoming a hub for innovation and cutting-edge futuristic technologies in various fields and provides an excellent ecosystem for nurturing start-ups, many of whom have became unicorns recently.

India and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have enjoyed close and warm relations for centuries and bilateral relations are based on mutual respect, trust, cooperation and people-to-people contacts. The presence of the more than 2.4 million-strong Indian community in the Kingdom is a living bridge between our two great countries. The Indian community in the Kingdom has been an integral part of the developmental story of Saudi Arabia. I thank the leadership of Saudi Arabia for taking care of the Indian community in the Kingdom.

People-to-people contacts are a very important component of bilateral relations. The e-visa facility extended to Saudi nationals by the Indian side and a number of visa options now available for Indians to visit Saudi Arabia will not only give a boost to tourism and business travel but will also further enhance our people-to-people contacts. The number of travelers coming from India to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, family visits, business and tourism is steadily increasing. A number of Indian cultural troupes and Bollywood personalities have visited Saudi Arabia in the recent past. Saudi Arabia is also becoming a favorite destination for shooting Bollywood movies. Cricket is becoming popular in the Kingdom and will provide further avenues for us to work together. Last year, Saudi Arabia hosted the final games of India’s Santosh Trophy Football tournament.

I also take this opportunity to extend thanks to Saudi Arabia for helping us in evacuating Indian nationals from Sudan as part of Operation Kaveri. India rescued more than 3,500 of its nationals from Sudan to Jeddah and then onwards to India as part of the operation. While the Indian Navy and Air Force played a central role in the evacuation operation, it would not have been possible without the excellent cooperation and support of all Saudi officials and government organizations.

Since the inception of the Strategic Partnership Council in 2019, India-Saudi Arabia relations have grown from strength to strength. High-level ministerial and official delegation visits between the two countries have increased in recent years.

Defense-related engagements with bilateral exercises, high-level visits and specialist delegations have also increased.

In 2022-2023, our bilateral trade passed $52 billion. India is Saudi Arabia’s second largest trading partner, while Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trading partner. Our trade basket is diversifying, and there has been a robust exchange of business delegations in recent years. The India-Saudi Arabia investment partnership has deepened in the past few years. From about 400 in 2019, to about 2,900 in 2023, there has been an expansion in the presence of Indian companies in the Kingdom across sectors. Indian companies are present across a range of sectors, including construction, information technology, health, oil and gas, telecommunications and financial services.

Saudi Arabia is in the midst of undergoing a major economic diversification plan under Vision 2030 and Indian companies are well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunities offered by this plan. India’s participation in this journey is aligned with its strength in various fields. Saudi companies and entities have also invested in India to the tune of $10 billion.

Energy cooperation forms a central pillar of India-Saudi bilateral ties. Saudi Arabia is a key partner for India in ensuring energy security. It has remained one of the largest and most-trusted crude and petroleum products suppliers for India. Saudi Arabia is also one of the most important suppliers of fertilizers for India, thus securing India’s food security.

In the past year, monumental developments have taken place in bilateral relations.

Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman visited India in September 2023 to participate in the G20 leaders’ summit and to co-chair the first leaders’ meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council, along with the prime minister of India. During the visit, MoUs/MoCs/agreements were signed by the two sides across several fields, including in energy, banking, investment, manufacturing, archival cooperation, anti-corruption and water desalination. During the G-20 summit, our leaders also announced the India Middle East Europe Corridor. This will open up opportunities for collaboration in connectivity, logistics and transportation.

Ministerial visits from India to Saudi Arabia include those of Minister of Commerce and Industries and Textiles and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Shri. Piyush Goyal; Minister of State for External Affairs Shri. V. Muraleedharan; Minister of State for Tourism and Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri. Shripad Yesso Naik; Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy Shri. Raj Kumar Singh; and Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani.

Visits from Saudi Arabia to India in recent times, including as part of India’s G20 presidency, have included Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud; Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan; Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan; Minister of Tourism Ahmed bin Aqil Al-Khateeb; Minister of Education Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan; Minister of Health Fahd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel; Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha; Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi; and Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah.

The energy co-operation between the two countries is also diversifying. Recently, we have concluded an MoU in the fields of electrical interconnections, green/clean hydrogen and supply chains. This MoU aims to establish a general framework for cooperation between the two countries in electrical interconnection, exchange of electricity during peak times and emergencies, co-development of projects, co-production of green/clean hydrogen and renewable energy, and also the establishment of secure, reliable and resilient supply chains of the materials used in green/clean hydrogen and the renewable energy sector.

The first ever visit by Admiral Fahd Abdullah Al-Gufaili, chief of Royal Saudi Naval Forces to India, in January 2024, is a testimony to growing bilateral defense relations. The second bilateral naval exercise, “Al-Mohed Al-Hindi,” was held in May 2023. This year, RSNF will participate in the multinational exercise, Milan-2024, besides other events, and the first joint bilateral land forces exercise is also scheduled in the first quarter of 2024. A large Indian contingent will also participate in the World Defense Show in Riyadh in February 2024.

As ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I feel immensely privileged to take this partnership forward to greater heights. It is my strong belief that India-Saudi Arabia bilateral cooperation will be a defining relationship of this century. On behalf of the government and people of India, including the Indian community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I also extend best wishes to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and His Royal Highness Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the continued peace, progress and prosperity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan is India’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.