Outgoing Indian Consul General In Jeddah, Mohammed Noor Rahman Sheikh on Monday praised the strengthening ties between India and Saudi Arabia as he ended a four-year stint.
Sheikh said he was fortunate to have witnessed a remarkable turnaround in relations during his time in the Kingdom, reports Arab News.
“India becoming Saudi Arabia’s second-largest trading partner is something to be very proud of and is indicative of how far the relationship has progressed,” he said.
Being part of the team that worked on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “very successful” visit to Riyadh in October 2019 was among the highlights of his tenure, Sheikh said, noting that the relationship between the two countries was one of the oldest and closest.
The Indian community is the largest expat population in the Kingdom, he said, and in the western region there were about 1 million Indian nationals working in multiple sectors including health, engineering, construction, business, IT, education, journalism, and domestic services.
Sheikh’s successor Badre Alam is expected to assume his responsibilities in the next few days.
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