MoS Muraleedharan to visit Saudi Arabia and Bahrain next week

Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan will embark on official visits to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain from Monday (May 1, 2023) onwards.

During his visit, the MoS Muraleedharan will hold meetings with his counterparts in both countries and engage with the Indian community, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as it announced the schedule on Sunday.

First, he will be visiting Saudi Arabia from May 1-3, 2023. This comes shortly after his visit to Jeddah from April 25-28, 2023, where he oversaw the evacuation of Indian citizens from Sudan under Operation Kaveri.

On the first day, he is set to meet with Saudi Vice Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji and other dignitaries. He will also interact with the Indian community in Riyadh and engage with various Indian diaspora organizations.

The following day, on 3 May 2023, MoS Muraleedharan will visit the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia to meet with its top leadership, interact with the Indian community in Dammam and Jubail, and meet with different business groups, including Indian companies. This visit will further deepen India-Saudi strategic partnership, the MEA noted.

After this, he will depart for Bahrain where he will spend two days on May 4-5, 2023. His trip to Bahrain will be his second visit to the country, having last visited in August 2021.

While there, he will hold discussions with various Bahraini dignitaries, meet with Indian community organizations, and interact with Indians working in different sectors.

As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM), he will also inaugurate the Indo-Bahrain Dance and Music Festival, which is being organized by Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam and the Embassy of India with support from the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities.