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Prince Salman to begin four-day India visit today
Prince Salman to begin four-day India visit today - Arab News
Nice to see that Saudi-India ties are growing.
RIYADH:
Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman will start a four-day visit to India on Sunday, the Indian Embassy announced on Saturday.
Prince Salmans visit to India is extremely important both on account of his stature in the Saudi government and the fact that the visit is taking place so soon after Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs recent visit to the Kingdom, Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad told Arab News.
He stressed that the governor, who is leading a large delegation, is carrying a message of friendship and goodwill to his country.
Prince Salman is scheduled to meet President Prathiba Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. During his talks with senior government officials, the governor will pick up on many of the points that have emerged as important elements in Saudi-India relations in the political and economic fields.
Prince Salman will also be conferred an honorary doctorate by Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. Discussions between the two countries will be attended by Faisal bin Tarad, Saudi ambassador in New Delhi.
The visit will give an opportunity to our leaders to discuss the regional scenario, particularly our concerns relating to extremism and terrorism emanating from parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan that threaten the region as a whole, said Ahmad.
Prince Salman is also expected to discuss further economic cooperation with business leaders in Mumbai. A large Indian business delegation was in the Kingdom accompanying Singh during his visit to Riyadh in February.
Prince Salmans engagement with them will actually follow up where we ended during the prime ministers visit and he will be able to address many of the issues our businesspersons may raise with him, the ambassador noted.
Prince Salman is visiting India at the invitation of Vice President of India Hamid Ansari, a former Indian ambassador to the Kingdom. The vice president is fully familiar with the Kingdom and its political, social and cultural ethos, Ahmad said.
The prince is also expected to visit the city of Agra where he will have an opportunity to see the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world.
Besides political and economic connectivity, his visit will promote our cultural and educational ties because he will be getting an honorary doctorate from one of Indias most prestigious universities, Jamia Millia Islamia, the envoy said.
The princes social engagements will include a visit to the Saudi school in New Delhi and he is scheduled to attend a reception accorded in his honor by Ambassador Tarad.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah visited India in 2006 to participate in its Republic Day celebrations as guest of honor.
Economic relations between the two countries are growing. India imports about 30 percent of its oil needs from the Kingdom. Bilateral trade reached almost $25 billion in 2008-09. Indian investments in the Kingdom have risen considerably to $2 billion covering over 500 joint ventures.
Prince Salman to begin four-day India visit today - Arab News
Nice to see that Saudi-India ties are growing.