The period between the two world wars witnessed the emergence of new nation-states in Europe and Asia. The main concern of these countries was to get political independence. India after independence re-established its strong social, economic, religious, and emotional bonds with Saudi Arabia.

Indo-Saudi bilateral relations became stronger and cordial when King Saud visited India in 1955 and agreed to shape their relationship based on mutual coexistence and cooperation. Since then, there have been several visits of higher authorities and officials over the period of years that has continued to boost their relations to a greater height in a range of areas, from energy to security. The economic policy of liberalisation and privatisation in India and the quest of Saudi Arabia for a stable crude oil market are the main reasons that bind them together.

Strong ties

The Indian government is keenly interested in attracting foreign investments in India as it has improved its ‘ease of doing businesses’ ratings and also its Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policies. The Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, could be an attractive strategic partner in developing the Indian economy by investing in different economic sectors.

On the other hand, from the Saudi point of view, India has been and would be the future market for oil, etc. As per the trend and views of economists, the Indian economy would rise over the next couple of decades which will generate the demands for oil. According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the expected to rise by 130 percent by 2040. Saudi Arabia on the other hand has been transforming its oil-based economy to knowledge-based economy which requires highly skilled professionals. And it is here India can play a role. India has been producing a large number of such educated professionals and skilled workers who have been substantially contributing to the development of Saudi Arabia.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision 2030 aims to develop a diverse economic area to facilitate more investment and business into India. Modi during his visit in 2016 reiterated India’s intention to work together with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is expected to be an important market for Indian goods particularly for precious stones, agricultural and pharmaceutical products, etc.

Indo-Saudi economic ties show tremendous growth over the period of time. According to India's Ministry of External Affairs, the bilateral trade during 2019-20 was worth $33.07 billion. India’s imports from Saudi Arabia reached $26.84 billion and exports to Saudi Arabia were worth $ 6.24 billion which accounted for an increase of 12.18 percent over the last fiscal year. According to the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia, there are 476 registered Indian companies. It clearly indicates the perpetuity of Indo-Saudi bilateral relations. 

Not only economic ties but culturally also their relations are strong. Indian Muslims have cultural and emotional ties with Saudi Arabia; Islamic relics and monuments that Indian Muslims aspire to visit are boosting its tourism sector. 

Contributions of 2.5 million Indian expats

Moreover, the presence of more than 2.5 million Indians in Saudi Arabia, which is considered the largest expatriate community in the Kingdom, are the living ambassadors of cultural exchange. Most Indians learn the Arabic language within a short period of time to communicate with local people. As per a study, Indians are relatively the most preferred community amongst the expatriates not only for their expertise in their respective fields but also for their sense of discipline, law-abiding behaviour, and peace-loving nature.

The contributions made by the Indian community in the development of Saudi Arabia have always been appreciated by the Saudi government. Keeping in view the contribution of expat Indians, the Saudi government, irrespective of their religion, treats every expat Indian equally like its own citizen. Even during the pandemic, the Saudi government did not discriminate against anyone on the basis of their nationality and religion, etc. despite knowing the fact that the bulk of initially affected COVID patients were Indian expat workers.

Indo-Saudi mutual respect can be gauged from the fact that King Abdullah was invited as a chief guest on India’s Republic Day in 2006 and Sushma Swaraj attended as the guest of Honour in Janadriyah festival,  the prestigious National Festival of Heritage and Culture of Saudi Arabia in 2018. Modi also became the first Indian in 2016, who has been conferred with Saudi Arabia's highest civilian honour - the King Abdulaziz Sash. The award is named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of the modern Saudi state. On the other hand, as strong friends of Saudi Arabia both External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval along with the Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi were present at the Saudi National Day Celebration in Delhi last year. It is yet another example of the manifestation of the strong Indo-Saudi ties and which shows the growing closeness between India and Saudi Arabia.

Unprecedented transformations

Both Saudi Arabia and India are undergoing unprecedented transformations - whether it be Saudi’s Vision 2030 program which aims to become a global investment powerhouse, Neom City Project, a revolution in urban living vision, or India’s move towards achieving its vision of a five trillion economy with its flagship initiatives of Make in India, Start-Up India, Smart Cities and Digital India etc. thereby creating countless opportunities for their counterparts.

Further, India has an enthralling entertainment industry. In the present scenario, the rise of the entertainment industry in the Kingdom will surely attract Indian markets too, thus providing ample jobs and business opportunities. Indo-Saudi relations, however, are based not only on the imports and exports of commodities but also on mutual coexistence, cooperation, and respect.

With their diversified future and strong determination to work together, Saudi Arabia and India can amaze the world by ushering in positive transformation and further build on their ties in bilateral and regional interest.

(The writer is an educationist and faculty member of King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The views are personal. He tweets at @asiframeez and can be contacted at asiframeez@gmail.com)