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Deputy Saudi FM to visit India for trade talks

NEW DELHI: Saudi Arabia's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nizar Obaid Madani, will arrive here on Sunday for talks to bolster trade and political ties with India, officials said here on Saturday.

During his two-day visit, Madani will meet Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh, Vice President Krishna Kant and others for talks, a foreign ministry official said in New Delhi.

He described the visit as an "important beginning" to contacts between India and the Kingdom and added that both sides would examine prospects for strengthening ties in areas such as information technology, communications and space.

The two countries are also likely to sign an accord on bilateral investment protection and re-endorse an existing treaty against terrorism and drug trafficking during Madani's visit, he said.

India is the largest importer of petroleum products from Saudi Arabia, with trade valued at over 650 million dollars annually. AFP