India-Saudi relations are built on the strong edifice of history

DR. AUSAF SAYEED: On the joyous occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day and the commencement of the “Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav” celebrations, I would like to extend my warm greetings and felicitations to all Indian citizens and persons of Indian origin in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

For Indians, this day represents struggle, sacrifice, achievement, and the dawn of a new beginning when India became a free, sovereign, and independent nation that would decide its future course after two centuries of colonial rule.

Independent India is a celebration of our indigenous diversity and multiculturalism. Over the years we have nurtured the spirit of freedom and strengthened our democracy as we continue our march toward progress and development with new vigor, aspiration, and with the mantra “Nation first, always first.”

Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore described India as a country “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free.” As millions of Indians across the world are singing the national anthem or “Rashtra Gaan” written by Tagore to commemorate our freedom, the national anthem itself is a genuine recognition of the pluralistic spirit of India. The mention of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, Maratha, Dravida, Utkala, and Banga in the national anthem is a recognition of the existence of different geographic regions, ethnicities, and cultures in India that highlight the glory of the country as a complex and composite entity.

This year as we commence celebrating 75 years of our independence, we also commemorate 75 years of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between India and Saudi Arabia. Our relations are built on the long history of the movement of people between India and the Kingdom for mercantile trade and the Hajj pilgrimage. The people of Saudi Arabia have always been fascinated by India’s spices, pearls, precious stones, silk, sandalwood, oud, and perfumes.

Several Indian rulers and nobles built and endowed over a hundred rest houses in the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah; these were known as “Rubats.” Even now some of them exist such as the Bohra, Bhopal, Arcot, and Hyderabad Rubats.

Other significant links between India and Makkah can be traced to the construction of madrasas and colleges by Indian rulers in the medieval period from as early as the 15th century AD. Prominent among these were the Bangaliyya Madrasa, Gulbargiyya Madrasa, and the Madrasa of the Sultan of Cambay. These were followed in the early 19th century by the renowned Madrasa Al-Sawlatiyah, which is still operating in Makkah.

There has always been mutual respect and understanding between the leadership of our two countries. While the 17-day visit of King Saud to India in the winter of 1955 created a favorable impression within the region, the return visit of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in September 1956 reinforced the resolve of the two countries to work together to promote peace, progress, and freedom around the world while adhering to the principles of the Bandung Conference. The visit of Indira Gandhi in April 1982 after a gap of 26 years generated considerable excitement not only in the Kingdom but also in the region.

A major turning point in the bilateral relations was the landmark visit of King Abdullah to India in January 2006; the king was the chief guest for India’s Republic Day celebrations during which the two countries decided to develop a strategic energy partnership. The return visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Riyadh in February 2010 heralded a new era of strategic partnership between the two countries. The Delhi and Riyadh declarations made during these visits continue to remain important and highly relevant bilateral documents.

The foundation of the strong, multi-faceted and strategic partnership between the two countries was, however, laid by four important bilateral visits: The visit of King Salman, then the Saudi crown prince, to Delhi in February 2014, the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in February 2019 and the two visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Riyadh in April 2016 and October 2019.

The formation of the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) between the two countries in October 2019 is the highest bilateral mechanism between the two countries and marks the elevation of the bilateral relationship to new heights. The two ministerial committees under the SPC have begun engaging at the senior officers’ level as well as at the level of joint working groups. They focus on diverse areas such as security and defense cooperation, energy, cultural cooperation, agriculture and food security, industry and infrastructure, technology and IT, along with health and education.

Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth-largest trading partner after China, the US, and the UAE. India regards Saudi Arabia as a reliable and long-term energy partner in guaranteeing its energy security. For the fiscal year 2020-21, the hydrocarbons trade with Saudi Arabia accounted for around 61.1 percent of India’s bilateral trade. The Kingdom is the second-largest crude sourcing destination, next to Iraq, for India. India Imported 34.2 MMT of crude oil in the financial year 2020-21, accounting for 18.20 percent of the total crude imports. Saudi Arabia is also the third-largest liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sourcing destination for India after Qatar and the UAE and it accounts for 22.3 percent of the total LPG imports for 2020-21.

From a purely buyer-seller relationship, the two countries have moved toward a strategic partnership in the hydrocarbons sector with investments from Saudi Aramco in downstream oil and gas projects as well as Aramco’s interest in India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves.

Both countries have robust defense cooperation focussed on maritime security cooperation, military training, and possible collaboration in the area of defense industries. The first-ever visit of India’s Chief of Army Staff Gen. M.M. Naravane to the Kingdom in December 2020 was aimed at further strengthening bilateral defense ties in areas such as sharing military intelligence, cybersecurity, and combating terrorism.

The successful conduct of the first joint naval exercises, the “Al-Mohed Al-Hindi 2021,” at the Jubail port earlier this month served to enhance interoperability between the two naval forces and help in better understanding procedures for maritime security operations. The next step will be to conduct land forces exercises with the theme of counterterrorism in the months ahead.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Saudi Space Commission have held talks to explore the possibility of signing a country-level memorandum of understanding (MoU) in space cooperation. Likewise, cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy is also an area of interest for both countries.

Healthcare is another significant area in our bilateral cooperation under the Strategic Partnership Council. India supplied 4.5 million doses of the Covishield (AstraZeneca) vaccine to the Kingdom as part of our “Vaccine Maitri.” India has also offered technical know-how and technology transfer for Covaxin, India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine. Cooperation in the field of vaccine development, the joint manufacture of pharmaceuticals, and cooperation in setting up super-specialty hospitals in the Kingdom also remain areas of interest for the private sectors in both countries.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Saudi Arabia for facilitating the supply of liquid medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders and tanks during the devastating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Cooperation in the field of complementary and alternative medicine is another promising area of cooperation between our countries. The signing of an MoU for collaboration in yoga between the two countries on the sidelines of the 7th International Yoga Day is a testimony to the growing popularity of yoga in the Kingdom. The MoU will pave the way for the establishment of formal yoga standards and courses in the Kingdom.

We endeavor to further engage the people of the two countries in meaningful collaborations in the fields of sport — particularly cricket and football — in addition to entertainment, cinema, and tourism.

I would like to compliment the Indian community which, through its sincerity, hard work, and commitment, has generated considerable goodwill in our bilateral relationship. The cooperation extended by the community volunteers across Saudi Arabia during the “Vande Bharat Mission” under which nearly 600,000 Indians traveled back to the country was noteworthy.

I would like to conclude by availing myself of this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their steadfast support in constantly improving the bilateral relationship and for ensuring the welfare of all residents in the Kingdom, including Indian nationals, during these challenging times in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. (ARAB NEWS)

Dr. Ausaf Sayeed is India’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia