DMPQ: What are the positives in India-Saudi Arabia relation?

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Positive:

  1. Energy security: Saudi Arabia today is our 4th largest trade partner (after China, USA and Japan) and is a major source of energy as we import around 17 % of our crude oil requirement from the Kingdom.
  2. Investment:According to Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), there are 322 Indian companies as joint ventures/100% owned entities of worth USD 1.4 billion in the Kingdom till Dec, 2017.
  3. Indian diaspora:The 2.7 million (as of Dec, 2018) strong Indian community in Saudi Arabia is the largest expatriate community in the Kingdom and is the ‘most preferred community’ due to their expertise, sense of discipline, law abiding and peace loving nature.
  4. Commercial relation: Saudi Arabia is the 15th largest market in the world for Indian exports and is destination to 1.85% (2017-18) of India’s global exports.
  5. Counter terrorism: Indian govt. has demonstrated an increased willingness to cooperate with Saudi Arabia on a variety of security issues such as joint military exercises, intelligence sharing, counterterrorism, anti-money laundering, and terror financing.