The Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabee'a patronized here today the GCC-Indian Business 4th Forum in the attendance of India's Vice Minister of Commerce Reefed Kor, GCC head of economic affairs Rayhan bin Mubarak Fayez Rayhan, Secretary General of GCC chambers of commerce and industry Abdulrahim Hasan Naqi and a number of Saudi, GCC and Indian businessmen. Addressing the gathering, Al-Rabee'a confirmed the deep-rooted relations between GCC countries and India which, he said, are based on ties of fraternity, friendship, mutual interests and cultural and trade exchanges. Highlighting the rapprochement between Arab and Indian civilizations over history, he said the Indian culture has turned to be of a close inter-relation with the Arab Islamic culture, noting that the trade size between the GCC and India increased in 2014 to $150 billion with GCC exports to India amounted to $95 billion and GCC imports from India reached around $55 in the same period. He said trade exchange between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India amounted in 2014 to about $40 billion with Saudi exports to India were more than $33 billion and its imports from India reached nearly $7 billion. He called for more exchanges of high-level visits between India and GCC countries, paying special attention to transfer of technology, encourage of exports, exchange of information, and hold exhibitions, symposia, conferences, and workshops. --More 15:53 LOCAL TIME 12:53 GMT تغريد
