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11:56 GMT
Saudi Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the Kingdom of the Saudi Arabia
NEW DELHI, Feb 21 (KUNA) -- To strengthen bilateral relations between the
two nations, Saudi Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Prime Minister
and Defence Minister of the Kingdom of the Saudi Arabia will be on a three-day
official visit to India from February 26, the Indian foreign ministry stated
Friday.
The ministry said the Saudi Crown Prince would be accompanied by a
high-level delegation including cabinet ministers, senior officials and
captains of industry during his visit.
Moreover, the ministry said there has been significant progress in
bilateral cooperation in key areas of mutual interest, including energy
security, trade and infrastructure development projects between Saudi Arabia
and India.
During the visit, the Saudi Crown Prince would meet with President Pranab
Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"Saudi Arabia has become our 4th largest partner with bilateral trade in
excess of USD 43 billion in 2012-13," the minsitry said in its press
statement, adding, "Saudi Arabia is also India's largest crude oil supplier
accounting for about one-fifth of our total imports in 2012-13. There are over
2.88 million Indian nationals presently working in Saudi Arabia." (end)
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