Sushma Swaraj to visit Saudi Arabia on Tuesday

New Delhi: India is stepping up its diplomacy with the Arab world where a large number of Indians stay and work. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Palestine, the United Arab Emirates and Oman from February 9 to 12, it was announced on Sunday that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj too will visit Saudi Arabia from February 6 to 8. She will inaugurate the Janadriyah Festival of Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. 

India has been invited as the guest of honour country at the festival, which is the most prestigious and popular "National Heritage and Culture Festival" of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is being organised annually since 1985. New Delhi on Sunday thanked the Saudi King, who is the patron of the festival, for the invitation.

MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted, “EAM @SushmaSwaraj will visit Saudi Arabia from 6-8 February to inaugurate the Janadriyah Festival of Saudi Arabia on 7 February. Interestingly, India will also be showcasing both Yoga and Bollywood as part of the cultural component during the festival.” At a joint press conference in Saudi Arabia with the Saudi Minister of National Guard, Minister of State for External Affairs Gen. (retd.) V.K. Singh said, “We greatly value our close and deep rooted civilisational and strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This relationship got further impetus and new direction after the historic visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Kingdom in 2016. The Kingdom is also home to more than 3 million-strong Indian Community. India’s participation in the festival will be multifaceted. We will have an Indian Pavilion where we will project a number of Indian themes and projects. The India Pavilion will comprise glimpses of Traditional and Modern India. There will be displays and presentations by Ministries/Departments.”