Suhel Ajaz Khan appointed India's new ambassador to Saudi Arabia

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The Government of India has appointed senior diplomat Suhel Ajaz Khan as India’s new ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Suhel Ajaz Khan is a 1997-batch Indian Foreign Service officer and is presently serving as Indian ambassador to Lebanon.

Khan worked at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh between September 2017 and June 2019 as Deputy Chief of Mission.

India Saudi Arabia Relations 

Saudi Arabia which is the largest exporter of crude oil in the world and is the  custodian of two of holiest mosques of Islam, Al Haram in Mecca and Al-Haram or forbidden mosques  in Medina.

During the visit of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to Saudi Arabia in 2010 elevated the India-Saudi Arabia tie to ‘Strategic Partnership’.

During PM M0di visit to Saudi Arabia in 2019 Strategic Partnership Council Agreement was signed, which established a high-level council to steer the Indo-Saudi relationship.

Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trading partner after the United States of America, China and the United Arab Emirates.

More than 18% of India’s crude oil imports are sourced from Saudi Arabia. During April -December 2022, bilateral trade was valued at US$29.28 billion. During this period, India’s imports from Saudi Arabia were valued at US$22.65 billion and exports to Saudi Arabia were worth US$6.63 billion.

There are about 22 lakhs Indians living in Saudi Arabia and they constitute the largest expatriate community in Saudi Arabia.

Capital of Saudi Arabia: Riyadh 

Currency: Saudi Riyal 

King of Saudi Arabia: King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud