Today is our 64th Republic Day. I take this opportunity to extend my warm wishes to my fellow countrymen and persons of Indian origin residing in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia. I also extend my sincere greetings to all the friends and well-wishers of India who are residing in this holy land. On this happy occasion, I would also like to mention the successful and incident-free Haj 2012 and register the appreciation of the more than 170,000 Indian Hajis for the arrangements, facilities and services provided by the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. I take this opportunity to thank King Abdullah, his government and his people in conducting yet another successful and incident-free Haj. In recent years, India has emerged as an indispensable partner in dealing with regional and global issues ranging from peace to politics and social to economic development. The stable and steady economic growth in India is a reflection of the dynamism and strength of our democracy and maturity of our political system. The India of the future would be characterized by a more knowledge-based and technology-driven society. India and Saudi Arabia enjoy warm bilateral relations based on mutual benefit as they share greater symmetry in the perception of regional and global issues of importance. “The landmark visit of King Abdullah to India in 2006 and the visit of our Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Saudi Arabia in 2010 and signing of the Delhi and Riyadh declarations by the two leaders have given considerable depth and diversity to the political and economic relations between the two countries. Ever since, the bilateral trade witnessed a rapid growth. It increased from $25.06 billion in 2010-11 to $36.74 in 2011-12 registering a rise of 46.57% in one single year. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia assumes special significance for us as it serves as a second home to our nearly two million fellow Indians who are contributing greatly to the economy of India as well as to the economy of their host country. I take this opportunity to congratulate them all especially the senior executives, entrepreneurs, academicians and medical specialists who have extended a helping hand in improving the image of India through a network of various platforms such as Saudi Indian Business Network (SIBN), Indian Education Council (IEC), Indo Saudi Medical Forum (ISMF), Saudi Indian Friendship Society (SIFS) and a host of other regional and community forums. We at the Consulate General of India, Jeddah, take pride in rendering the best and the fastest possible consular services to the Indian diaspora residing in the Western Province. The well being of our community is our top priority and we remain committed to our round-the-clock response to the needs of our brothers and sisters living in the various parts of this province. It is in this background that we are going to have “Open House” starting from the next month in the premises of the Consulate General of India, Jeddah. JAI HIND!
