R) Mohsina Kidwai, S.M. Krishna and Talmiz Ahmed the Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia. (SG photos by Fouzia Khan) THE Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Mohsina Kidwai, Chairperson of the Haj Committee interacted with members of the Indian community recently, during their visit to Jeddah to facilitate and assist Indian pilgrims in fulfilling their rituals during Haj. S.M. Krishna welcomed and thanked the community and said that it was a great pleasure for him to be in Jeddah. “ I bring to you the warm regards of the President and Prime Minister of India. My presence seeks to underline the importance attributed to Haj pilgrims by the Indian government. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the Saudi agencies for working so hard for the success of the Haj,” he said. “More than two million Indian expatriates live in the Kingdom and they are playing a very important role in contributing toward the Kingdom ‘s development with dedication, discipline and quality performances within the workplace.” He added that attempts are being made to attract investment and mutual understanding between the people of both countries. “I also want to convey to the Indian community here that India has been doing reasonably well in the field of development and other economic factors. Our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rate has been in the neighborhood of eight percent and we hope from 2011 to 2012 we will reach nine percent double that by 2013,” he stated. He told members of the community that they are India's goodwill ambassadors and should continue with their hard work and dedication to strengthen Saudi-Indian ties even further.
