2NDLD PM 2

Ahead of his departure from New Delhi, the Indian Prime
Minister, in a statement, noted that his visit to Saudi Arabia
carries a "special significance" and that India and Saudi
Arabia have much to gain by cooperating with each other in
combating extremism and terrorism.

Singh said he would discuss with the Saudi King the
situation in Afghanistan and other regional issues and ways in
which "we promote greater stability and security in the region
and impart a strategic character to our relations beyond the
traditional areas of our cooperation".
Referring to the Delhi Declaration issued during the
visit of King Abdullah here in 2006 as Republic Day chief
guest, the Prime Minister said it was a "valuable blueprint"
of cooperation between the two countries in the future.
Noting that Gulf region is an area of vital importance
for India's security and prosperity, he said that Saudi Arabia
is India's largest and most reliable supplier of energy needs
from the region.
Energy cooperation between the two countries has
witnessed massive increase since King Abdullah's Delhi visit,
with Saudi exports jumping from USD 500 million in 2006 to USD
23 billion in 2008, surpassing Iran as the largest supplier of
crude oil to India.
"Our trade and investment linkages have grown though
they remain much below the potential of our two economies and
must be broad-based," Singh said. (MORE) PTI ETB
PRS


The information contained in this electronic message and any attachments to this
message are intended for the exclusive
use of the addressee(s) and may contain proprietary, confidential or privileged
information. If you are not the intended
recipient, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please
notify the sender immediately and destroy
all copies of this message and any attachments contained in it.