TWO delegates from Saudi Arabia, including members of the Saudi Indian Business Network (SIBN), attended the recently-concluded Third Edition of the Global Exhibition on Services and the Kingdom's stall was one of the most visited. The Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry in association with Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) had organized the exhibition at the India Expo Center and Mart, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Seventy-three countries took part in the exhibition, which was inaugurated by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. It provided an opportunity for service providers to showcase their services and forge new ties. The objective of the Third Global Exhibition on Services (GES) was to provide a platform for increased trade in services and to enhance strategic cooperation and develop synergies between the Indian and global business with India hoping to serve the world economy as a forward-looking impulse for the service Industry. [caption id="attachment_144591" align="alignright" width="300"] New SIBN President meets with Saudi Ambassador in New Delhi.[/caption] On the sidelines of the summit, SIBN delegates held fruitful meetings with corporate heads, Ministry of Commerce officials, ministers, Saudi Ambassador and Saudi commercial attaché in New Delhi and other business personalities. Few MoUs are being worked out with Cogent Services, Medanta and engineering service providers. Abdullah M. AlKassabi President of SIBN said, "The GES 2017 was a never-ending experience. We had a great experience in witnessing the variety of services on offer and it was indeed the biggest takeaway. We thank all the visitors who visited our SIBN stall." Mir Gazanfar Ali Zaki, general secretary of SIBN, said, "The Indian services sector is the key driver of India's economic growth. The sector has grown rapidly over the past decade and has accounted for over 66.1% of the growth. The sector is also an important net foreign exchange earner and the most attractive sector for Foreign Direct Investment inflows. GES 2017 was provided a unique platform for the sector to explore market expansion opportunities across the globe, learn about relevant global industry trends, and network with their global counterparts, thus enhancing the global competitiveness of the Indian service sector." Eng. Fouzi Ali Bondagjy, CEO of Technical Support Trading & Support, said, "India has great potential for trade in services." He, while appreciating the efforts of SIBN in boosting links between Saudi and Indian businessmen, added, he would be happy to join an SIBN delegation to India again to explore business opportunities in other sectors." Emad Munshi, CEO of Business Arabia, urged the Indian Consulate General in Jeddah to organize more such tours to India for Saudi businessmen. "I, however, laud the work of SIBN in trying to bridge the gap by bringing together parties from both countries through every means and opportunity," he added. Abdulaziz Al Mohsen, director of Al Nasser for Water & Power, said he greatly benefited from this trip. "India is on a progressive path, especially in services, but it needs to create awareness and promote itself with persistence. More trade visits by delegations would benefit both Saudi and Indian businessmen," he said. Alsulami Ahmed Soroor, CEO of MBN Luxury Lines, highlighted how India and Saudi Arabia can work jointly to promote bilateral trade between the two countries. Eng. Adnan Ahmed Jameel Zagzoog, Joint secretary of SIBN, said, "India is definitely a preferred choice for manpower-related services — onshore as well as offshore. There are many opportunities to invest in India and Saudi Arabia." "India is an established world leader service providers in terms of cost and efficient delivery. Emerging technology driven services are finding great fame in international domain — artificial intelligence, robotic process learning in addition to cutting edge healthcare, defense and business engineering services. I see business collaborations between India and Saudi Arabia on those lines in the near future," said Vijay Soni, treasurer of SIBN and president IMA Chapter. "Fruitful meetings were held with financial and business process service providers, renewal energy players, government-supported skill development organization where early tie-ups are foreseen with Saudi businessmen," said Mohd. Viquar Ahmed, of SIBN. Mohd. Viquar Ahmed of SIBN event management, Vijay Soni and Mir Gazanfar Ali Zaki of SIBN Executive Committee managed and organized the GES trip. Haridas, Director - CII, extended overwhelming support to the delegation. He was supported by Mamta.
