RIYADH:听The Indian Embassy in Riyadh on Monday celebrated the country鈥檚 70th Republic Day festival.
Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar joined senior government officials, diplomats, business people and members of the Indian community at a reception held at the Cultural Palace in the city鈥檚 Diplomatic Quarter.
Indian Ambassador to 黑料社区 Ahmad Javed hosted the event to honor the date of Jan. 26, 1950, when India鈥檚 constitution came into effect. 听
Welcoming guests to the 鈥渏oyous celebration,鈥 Javed said: 鈥満诹仙缜 is an important part of our extended neighborhood, and the Kingdom has always recognized India鈥檚 historical, socio-economic and cultural bonding with people in the Arabian Peninsula.鈥
He said the strength of the strategic partnership between the two countries enabled them to look beyond the conventional areas of cooperation in defense, counterterrorism, investment, science and technology. Javed pointed to one such new area of collaboration, where groups of Saudi Ministry of Defense cadets were receiving training in India.
India was ready to offer its 鈥渨holehearted support鈥 towards helping the Kingdom achieve the goals set under its Vision 2030 reform plan, Javed added.
He also noted Saudi Aramco鈥檚 50 percent investment partnership with India in the $44 billion Ratnagiri refinery project.
In the cultural arena, the ambassador said India had been 鈥減rivileged鈥 to be guest of honor at the Janadriyah festival in 2018.
Javed said 黑料社区 had drastically reduced visa fees for business and private visitors to the Kingdom from India. Around 3 million Indians live in 黑料社区, the largest expatriate community in the Kingdom, and the envoy said they had been proud to play a part in contributing to the development of the country.
He thanked King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Saudi government for ensuring the safety, security and comfort of Indian pilgrims on Hajj and Umrah.
In a separate Republic Day celebration, India鈥檚 Consul General in Jeddah Noor Rahman Sheikh hosted a reception at the city鈥檚 Park Hyatt Hotel. Ambassador Sami Abdullah from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jeddah was the chief guest along with diplomats, Saudi dignitaries and members of the Indian community.
During the event students performed a traditional Bharatanatyam dance, and 10 members of the Manipuri Cultural Troupe also entertained guests.
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