King Salman is a friend of India, says diplomat

India is looking forward to having stronger relations with Saudi Arabia under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, who is a friend of India like King Abdullah, said Consul General B.S. Mubarak. “Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with King Salman on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Brisbane, Australia. During that meeting, the Saudi ruler expressed his desire to expand cooperation with India in all sectors,” Mubarak told Arab News. “It was like an open invitation for Indians and we hope that bilateral relations will become stronger in the coming years,” the Indian diplomat said. Mubarak said New Delhi was extremely happy over the quick and smooth transition in the Kingdom, following the death of King Abdullah on Friday. “The smooth transition of power was anticipated. King Salman has been very active as the crown prince. He has stated on the first day that he would follow the policies of his predecessors,” Mubarak said. King Abdullah had very special relations with India, the consul general said. “India was one of the first countries he visited after becoming the king in 2005. King Salman has also maintained a special relationship with India. He visited India last February heading a high-level delegation including business leaders.” He said Prime Minister Modi sent a high-level delegation with 18 members on a special flight under the leadership of Vice President Hamid Ansari to take part in King Abdullah’s funeral, despite their engagements in making huge arrangements for the Republic Day in New Delhi. “Our delegation was ready to come on Friday to take part in the burial, but could not make it because the ceremony took place soon after Asr prayer on that day,” the consul general said, stressing the warmth of relations between the two countries. India announced a one-day national mourning on Saturday in honor of King Abdullah and all Indian flags across the country flew at half-mast. “We toned down the Republic Day celebrations in the Kingdom and postponed the reception planned for the occasion,” he said. He said he is quite optimistic about the future of the relations between the two counties. “King Salman has already said he would follow in the footsteps of his predecessors and that there would not be any change in major policies,” he noted. Mubarak said King Salman is well known to many Indian political leaders due to their mutual friendship and his longstanding and strong presence in the Saudi government as governor of Riyadh, defense minister, crown prince and deputy premier. During Salman’s visit to New Delhi when he was crown prince, the two countries signed an agreement for defense cooperation. “We have also strengthened cooperation in combating terrorism,” he said while emphasizing the strategic Saudi-India ties. He added: “Indians represent the highest expat population in Saudi Arabia which indicates that Saudi individuals and businesses prefer Indian manpower primarily because of the quality of work. Moreover, our people are law-abiding, hardworking and competitive in nature.” He said that the volume of bilateral trade reached almost $50 billion. Moreover, Saudi Arabia hosts more than 200,000 Indian Haj and Umrah pilgrims every year. Many Indian companies, particularly those specialized in IT, consultancy and engineering operate in the Kingdom. “They have won Saudi contracts because of quality and cost-effectiveness,” the consul general said. He said many Saudi companies including SABIC, Saudi Aramco, petrochemical and steel firms have shown interest in investing in specific projects in India. “Saudi businessmen also visit exhibitions in our country to explore trade opportunities and outsource their operations.” Arab News