On the occasion of this 67th Republic Day of India, I extend my best wishes to all my fellow Indian citizens residing in the Western Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. India and the Arabian Peninsula have historic relations dating back to several millennia. The realms of relations include trade, people to people contacts and cultural exchange. In the recent past, the level of bilateral engagements between India and Saudi Arabia has reached new heights. The Delhi declaration issued during the visit of former King Abdullah to India provided the foundation and road map to elevate our bilateral relations at the political and economic level. The Riyadh declaration issued during the visit of the former Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh, heralded a new era of strategic partnership between the two countries. There has been a constant exchange of high level visits between the two countries. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, as crown prince, visited India in February 2014 and met the Indian leadership. During the visit a MoU on defense cooperation was signed. Indian ministers of defense, external affairs, overseas Indian affairs and finance have visited Saudi Arabia in the recent times. Saudi Arabia is India's fourth largest trading partner. The growth registered in bilateral trade has been impressive and the bilateral trade between India and Saudi Arabia for the year 2014-15 stood at $40 billion. Today, Saudi Arabia is one of the largest suppliers of crude oil to India. Indian investments in Saudi Arabia have shown a remarkable increase and cover a wide range of sectors, including information and technology, management and consultancy services, construction projects, telecommunication and pharmaceuticals. Indian IT majors like WIPRO and TCS are implementing key projects in the Kingdom. There are also numerous Indo-Saudi joint ventures and several Saudi companies are operating in India in sectors like steel, paper, chemicals, computer software, industrial production, machinery and cement. The Consulate launched the "Make In India" campaign to publicize the sectors suitable for Saudi investments in India and this campaign has been very well received by Saudi businessmen. The recently concluded India-GCC Industrial Forum at KAEC, gave a boost to the thriving business relations between India and GCC and especially between India and Saudi Arabia. On this occasion, I would like to put on record our sincere appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Ministry of Haj, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all other agencies for organizing and facilitating a successful Haj 2015. Over 136,000 pilgrims from India performed Haj in a smooth and comfortable manner. The Consulate General of India made elaborate arrangements and undertook new initiatives to provide the best possible services to the Indian pilgrims. The Consulate has been keen on providing quality consular services to all Indian citizens living within its jurisdiction and also to all Saudi nationals visiting the Consulate. In the year 2015 the Consulate has provided more than 136,000 consular services. We have also strengthened the Social Media platform of the Consulate, connecting thousands of Indian expatriates through this platform. The Indian community in the Kingdom is very large and their welfare is one of our main priorities. Members of the Indian community are known for their hard-working and law-abiding nature and also for their professional competence. While the Indian community has enormously benefitted from the opportunities available in the Kingdom, it has also substantially contributed to the development witnessed in the Kingdom. The members of the Indian community are the brand Ambassadors of India. I take this opportunity to congratulate them, especially the senior executives, entrepreneurs, academicians, and medical specialists who have extended a helping hand in projecting the image of India through various platforms such as Saudi Indian Business Network (SIBN) and a host of other regional and community forums. I'm confident that the Indian community would continue to be the most preferred expatriate community in the Kingdom. I would also like to thank all the community volunteers (CCWA Members) who have assisted us in addressing urgent issues related to the welfare of the Indian community. I conclude by expressing my confidence that the India-Saudi relations will grow from strength to strength and contribute towards world peace and stability.
