Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will arrive in the Kingdom today on a three-day visit dubbed as an attempt to upgrade bilateral relations. Singh will be the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Shoura Council, and his visit marks the first of any Indian prime minister for 28 years. Prime Minister Singh will be accompanied on his visit by his ministers of Foreign Affairs and Oil and other senior officials, as well as some 40 Indian businessmen and 35 representatives from the Indian press and media. Faisal Bin Tarad, the Saudi Ambassador to New Delhi, worked to the final moments with the Indian Prime Minister's office to ensure all preparations were in place as Okaz and Saudi Gazette conducted its exclusive interview with Manmohan Singh ahead of his departure for Riyadh. The interview, held at the PM's residence, was the first business of Singh's day. Singh in the interview said that tackling the common problem of terrorism is among the many areas in which India is seeking Saudi Arabia's help. “Both King Abdullah and I reject the notion that any cause justifies wanton violence against innocent people,” the prime minister says. “We are strong allies against the scourge of extremism and terrorism that affects global peace and security.” Singh points out that while India has had healthy ties with the Arab world that go back several millennia, “the relationships have to be constantly nourished and revitalized so that they respond to new realities and aspirations.” “We have a huge stake in each other's success,” he says, calling also for “a much greater integration of our economies, higher flow of trade and investment, better connectivity and freer flow of ideas and people.” He now sees “immense opportunities” for India and Saudi Arabia to promote joint economic development. Dr. Singh says India needs the help of Saudi industry in many areas, especially in the energy sector and including the quest for “renewable sources of energy as a major component of the new energy paradigm that the world sees.” In return, he is offering Saudi Arabia India's capabilities in important areas like IT, and pharmaceuticals. Interestingly, Saudi oil flow to India was a mere trickle in 2006 when King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, embarked on his landmark visit to New Delhi to launch his path-breaking “Look East” policy of engaging the powerful emerging economies of Asia in Saudi Arabia's quest to reduce its dependence on oil through economic diversification. The King's visit resulted in Saudi Arabia replacing the UAE as India's number one crude oil resource, with exports jumping from $500 million (SR1.87b) to $23b (SR86.2b) in 2008. Today, Saudi Arabia is India's fourth largest trading partner with two-way trade of over $25 billion. There are over 500 joint ventures with an estimated investment of over $2 billion (about SR7.5b).
