The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the Prime Minister of Republic of India Dr. Manmohan Singh held official talks at the King's Palace in Riyadh on Sunday evening. At the outset of the meeting, the King welcomed the Indian Prime Minister and the accompanying delegation, wishing them a pleasant stay in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. On his part, Dr. Singh expressed his thanks to and appreciation of the King for the warm reception and generous hospitality accorded to them. Then, the King awarded to the Indian Prime Minister King Abdulaziz Sash of the first class, which is awarded to Crown Princes and Prime Ministers of sisterly and friendly countries. Dr. Singh expressed his thanks to and appreciation of the King for awarding the sash to him, stressing his pride in this honoring. During the meeting, they discussed aspects of cooperation between the two friendly countries, ways of their enhancement in all fields, and overall events and developments at regional and international arenas. The meeting was attended by Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior; Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Muqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdullah Ahmed Zainal; and Saudi Ambassador to India Faisal Trad. On the Indian side, it was attended by Minister of Health and Family Planning Ghulam Nabi Azad; Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora; Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Shashi Tharoor; Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister T. K.. A. Nair; and a number of officials. At the end of the meeting, the King and the Indian Prime Minister signed Riyadh Declaration. --More
