RIYADH -Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today met Saudi KingSalman bin Abdulaziz and discussed steps to further intensify the bilateralstrategic partnership in all sectors and to work towards each other’sprogress.
Swaraj, who arrived here yesterday on her maiden visit to Saudi Arabia,called on King Salman here.
“Steps to further intensify our strategic partnership in all sectors and towork together towards each other’s progress came up during the warmdiscussion,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumartweeted.
Earlier, Swaraj met her Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir and discussed waysto enhance bilateral trade, energy, defence and security ties.
Kumar said the discussions between the two leaders focused on enhancingtrade and investment, energy, defence and security, culture andpeople-to-people ties. The two leaders also discussed the regional andglobal situation, Kumar added.
A welcome sign in Hindi appreciating India’s rich cultural heritage wasplaced at the Foreign Ministry building where Adel Jubeir hosted a lunch inhonour of Swaraj.
Swaraj will also inaugurate the prestigious National Heritage and CultureFestival ‘Janadriyah’, at which India is the guest of honour country. Thefestival, organised by the National Guard, exhibits Saudi Arabia’s richtapestry of culture and heritage.
Swaraj thanked the Saudi government for according the ‘Guest of Honour’status to India at the Janadriyah festival.
Last evening, Swaraj addressed Indian community members at a reception hereand spoke in length about the growing relations between the two countries,Kumar said.Swaraj thanked the Indian community for the goodwill it has earned for thecountry and lauded the Indian embassy for its promptness.
Saudi Arabia is home to more than 3 million Indian people and ties betweenthe two countries are on an upswing in the last few years especially afterthe landmark visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Gulf Kingdom inApril 2016.
Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trade partner after China, the USand the UAE. The country is a major source of India’s energy requirement asit accounts for almost one-fifth of India’s crude oil requirement.
The volume of bilateral trade during 2016-17 was recorded at $25.079billion, a slight decrease from the $26.71 billion in 2015-16.