Boost to defense ties with India : Saudi Arabia

[shree835]

Boost to defense ties with India : Saudi Arabia


Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held wide-ranging talks with Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony here Monday.The talks focused on “a range of bilateral and regional issues” of common concern with special reference to defense cooperation between the two countries.
“The talks with King Abdullah covered several bilateral topics ranging from economy to politics and defense cooperation,” said Antony, adding that he was “extremely happy and privileged” to meet the king. The talks were attended by Prince Salman, minister of defense, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, minister of foreign affairs, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, minister of state and commander of the National Guard, and Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah, deputy minister of foreign affairs.

The Indian officials present at the talks with Antony were Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao, Defense Secretary Shashi K. Sharma, Vice Chief of Army Staff S. K. Singh, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Adm. Satish Soni and Air Vice Marshal M. R. Pawar. Analysts view this first ever visit by the Indian defense minister with a team of senior army, air force and naval officers as a very important development in view the Middle East facing new challenges.

Antony told reporters, after his meeting with the king, that he would be holding comprehensive talks on defense matters with Prince Salman on Tuesday. He pointed out that Riyadh and New Delhi are witnessing “rapidly growing relations” in the fields of politics, economy, energy and many more sectors. “The Middle East region is important for us,” said Antony, while expressing his solidarity with the Kingdom and India’s hope for peace and stability in the region.

Antony stressed the need for closer cooperation in defense as Saudi Arabia and India are on the verge of a significant long-range partnership. The international community will have to jointly fight the menace of terrorism, which is of “grave concern to global peace and stability.”

He singled out terrorism and piracy as major problems facing the region that lies in India’s extended neighborhood. Antony said that problems such as “terrorism and transnational crimes are common concerns the world over.”

“India greatly values its relations with Riyadh,” Antony said, adding, “Now we will strengthen our relations further.”

During his talks with the king, Antony conveyed the greetings of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In turn, King Abdullah sent his greetings to Singh.

Referring to the specific areas of cooperation in defense, a press statement released by the Indian Ministry of Defense said: “Bilateral military cooperation should be boosted by high-level military exchanges, joint training of troops and use of training courses in India.”

India and Saudi Arabia should hold military discussions on perspectives for peace and stability in the Middle East, said the statement released at the time of the minister’s departure from India.

Indian Navy should hold joint exercises and pay visits to Saudi Arabia both in the Red Sea and the Gulf, it said. “One could expect more developments in the defense and security field, as this is a vital component of any strategic partnership,” said a reliable source, on the condition of anonymity.

He said that the Delhi Declaration is a pointer in this direction. “In comparative terms, India is more geographically proximate to Saudi Arabia,” said the source. It is only the Arabian Sea that separates them, he added.

“India and Saudi Arabia may not have a formal defense cooperation agreement, but the two countries have in the last decade enhanced their interaction with their forces holding joint training exercise, particularly in counterinsurgency and mountain warfare techniques,” he noted.

India with its large Muslim population sees Saudi Arabia from the global perspective as the seat of Islam’s two most sacred sites — Makkah and Madinah —to which a large number of Indian Muslims go on pilgrimage annually.

Antony also addressed Indian community members at the Indian Embassy here Monday night. He delivered his speech and then took some questions ranging from defense cooperation to situation in India and instability in Maldives. Ambassador Rao moderated the question-answer session.

 

[KRAIT]

Time to strengthen our defense ties in Middle east....

 

[shree835]

INDO-UAE RELATIONS
UAE-INDIA Bilateral Relations
The UAE’s economic, political and cultural links with India, which date back to more than a century ago, are matured and multi-dimensional. Bilateral trade has been steadily growing over the years and people-to-people contacts are constantly on the increase. Tourists from both sides are visiting for leisure and pleasure, and more and more UAE nationals are availing of healthcare and tourism facilities in India.

Close bonds between the Indian community and the nationals can be judged from the fact that the Indian community is the largest expatriate community in the UAE, numbering about 1.5 million. Strong bonds of friendship between the UAE and India are poised to be further diversified and strengthened in months and years to come.

Excerpts of the interview with Indian Ambassador to the UAE Talmiz Ahmed.

Relations between the UAE and India are strong and based on cultural contacts between the peoples of the two countries. What are the historical ties that bind the two nations and what are the new strategies for strengthening their cultural and traditional bonds? India-UAE relations are on the upswing. The two countries share bonds of cultural affinity and have strong commercial and cultural linkages. Our expanding ties cover the full range of economic, technical, social and cultural fields that are mutually beneficial for both peoples.

A momentum to the growing relationship of India with the Gulf countries, especially the UAE, was provided by the visit of Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to India in June. During the visit, both sides had fruitful and substantial discussions on a wide range of subjects, including bilateral relations, regional situation, security, defence and renewable energy. From the Indian side, the then Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee and Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath had visited UAE in May and April 2008, respectively.

Our relations are not determined by trade and economic aspects alone. Indians were present in the UAE long before oil was discovered and have played a vital role in the development of the country. They have been active partners with their Emirati hosts. UAE leaders have on several occasions acknowledged the contributions made by Indians in different spheres.

What are the developments in the fields of business and commerce between the two countries?
India and the UAE are making robust efforts to renew and strengthen the bilateral economic and trade relations. The relationship between the two countries has evolved into a significant partnership in the economic and commercial sphere, with UAE emerging as the second largest market globally for Indian products. At the same time, Indians have emerged as important investors in the UAE, and India as an important export destination for the UAE manufactured goods.

How was the two-way trade between the two countries last year?
India-UAE non-oil trade valued at $29,023.68 in 2007-2008. The two-way trade for 2007-2008 showed a 40 per cent growth over the previous year. The main items of exports from India included mineral fuels, natural or cultured pearls, cereals, gems and jewellery, manmade yarn, fabrics, metals, cotton yarn, marine products, machinery and equipment, plastic and linoleum products, tea and meat and preparations. Major items of imports from UAE include mineral fuels, mineral oils, natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, metal ores & metal scrap, sulphur and unroasted iron pyrites, electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof, iron and steel etc.

A large portion of India’s exports to the UAE is transshipped from Dubai to other countries in the region such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and, of late, even to East African countries. Thus, exports to the UAE have, in effect, opened up a huge regional market for Indian products.

Is there any scope for further growth in bilateral trade and mutual investments between the two countries?
The sharp increase in our bilateral trade, especially in the non-oil sector, is a reflection of the growth and depth of the two economies. Indian and UAE companies are actively involved in pursuing investments and projects in both countries. These joint venture initiatives involve some of the most important companies from India such as Tata, Reliance, Wipro, NTPC, Larsen & Toubro, Dodsals and Punj Lloyd. From the Emirati side, the top companies active in India are Emaar, Nakheel, DP World, etc. In October last year, an MoU between UAE University and India’s Atul Limited was signed for strategic partnership for transfer of technology to set up a state-of-the-art date palm tissue culture production unit in Rajasthan.

What is the estimated number of Indian people and businesses in UAE?
It is estimated that about 1.5 million Indians live in UAE. Not many have left the country in the recent past. The global crisis has merely served to strengthen the shift away from purely speculative activity without having a significant adverse impact on the principal energy, infrastructure and real estate projects being pursued in the country, particularly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as finance is available readily for such national development-related projects. Hence, the current economic crisis is unlikely to have any significant impact on the recruitment of Indians.

What is the state of tourism between the two countries?
Tourism sector is one of the areas that has good potential for future growth, especially medical tourism. Emiratis going to India are already utilising Indian health services, including the ayurvedic establishments and spas. Another area with considerable scope for cooperation in tourism is construction and maintenance of hotels. There is good scope for UAE to invest in the over-all tourism sector in India, which would help pull tourists visiting the UAE to India as well.

Will there be a new, more dynamic, phase in UAE-India relations in future?
Reflecting the global realities, ties between India and the UAE are acquiring a new dimension. The two countries have established strong partnerships in the field of commerce and trade. This partnership is expanding, diversifying and emerging into a strategic partnership with emphasis on cooperation in defence, energy, etc. UAE as a neighbour will be given priority attention in upgrading our ties.

Both countries can cooperate with each other bilaterally and regionally in defence and security issues and become partners in the global fight against terrorism and extremism.

Since UAE is focusing on knowledge based industries and with India emerging as world leaders in space, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and bio-technology, there is considerable scope for cooperation in technology transfer, R&D and for joint ventures. Defence cooperation reached a new high with the first ever India-UAE air exercise and the second India-UAE Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meeting. India got firm support of the UAE side on the issue of terrorism, specially on the Mumbai terror attacks of November last year.


UAE-India Relations

 

[Jason bourne]

someone lost another good freinds to india

 

[Rusty]

someone lost another good freinds to india

ahah good one, joke of the day

India also talks to China, it must mean that China is ready to give back south Tibet to India right?
oh right, that's just a fantasy world that only you live in.

 

[JonAsad]

^^ Rusty- ignore such silly statements from the indians- they seems to get excited pretty soon- and for stupid reasons-
Yesterday saudis visited kashmir- and they thought kashmir was won - silly kids-

 

[Alchemy]

ahah good one, joke of the day

India also talks to China, it must mean that China is ready to give back south Tibet to India right?
oh right, that's just a fantasy world that only you live in.

What, get your facts right mate , We already have Arunachal pradesh(in your words S Tibet) with us so where is the question of giving or taking back anything ...
Pakistan seemed to be lost in myriad ways of looking every foreign policy from defense point of view , we trade with china for 100 billion dollars against your number of 8 billion .... similar difference between India and Saudi too ... bilateral trade increases friendship between nations which pakistan fails to see... Pity on such hallowed thinking

 

[JonAsad]

Pakistan seemed to be lost in myriad ways of looking every foreign policy from defense point of view

its a pity you lie so blatantly on a forum-

someone lost another good freinds to india

^^ Alchemy- he seems to be from your breed- not Pakistani at all-

 

[perplexed]

Let them be in darkness. Let them ask some fighters in war. We already know what will happen.

btw, what important developments regarding our inclusion in OIC ?

 

[Mirza Jatt]

good news...we need strong ties with Saudis....

 

[Anish1]

There is no updated figure ANYWHERE on india-saudi trade
Last figure was $25.5bn in 2009.
It should be around $36bn-$38bn currently.

 

[EastWest]

our neighboring diplomats must be scratching their heads on how do the Indian diplomats manage being strategic partners with countries who are rivals to each other..We share good friendship with Iran and also Saudi Arabia, with Israel and Iran, with USA and Russia..

 

[rama]

India with its large Muslim population sees Saudi Arabia from the global perspective as the seat of Islam’s two most sacred sites — Makkah and Madinah —to which a large number of Indian Muslims go on pilgrimage annually.

religion should not be the reason to start a strategic, economic, defense ties with any particular nation, when u deal with a country u deal with a nation as a whole!! not just with any particular community..our bilateral trade with china is touching 100 billion mark..and there is no religious influence behind that..we r just satisfying each other needs..Saudis wanna trade with us because we represents a large muslim population...then they should start dealing with the nations like Sudan and Somalia coz the Muslim brothers there need much more help than Muslims of India.

 

[AbhimanyuShrivastav]

our neighboring diplomats must be scratching their heads on how do the Indian diplomats manage being strategic partners with countries who are rivals to each other..We share good friendship with Iran and also Saudi Arabia, with Israel and Iran, with USA and Russia..

But they share a good friendship with China and Taliban.. Thats good enough...

 

[Jason bourne]

ahah good one, joke of the day

India also talks to China, it must mean that China is ready to give back south Tibet to India right?
oh right, that's just a fantasy world that only you live in.

Boost to defense ties with India : Saudi Arabia

wese bhi bhai aap kyun gussa ho rahe he me to ese hi bola tha dont take it personally wese samajdar ho