India, Saudi Arabia sign MoU on Cooperation in Water Resources
Riyadh, June 29
India's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Suhel Khan and Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen AlFadley on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Water Resources at Saudi Water Week in Jeddah.
"India-Saudi Arabia Strengthen Water Partnership at Saudi Water Week! A significant step in advancing the India-Saudi Arabia strategic partnership as Ambassador Dr. Suhel Khan and H.E. Eng. Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen AlFadley, Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, signed an MoU on Cooperation in Water Resources at Saudi Water Week in Jeddah," the Embassy of India in Riyadh wrote on X.
According to the Embassy, the MoU aims to foster collaboration, strengthen capacity building, and facilitate the exchange of best practices in water resources planning, sustainable water management, irrigation systems, and other related areas.
Consul General Fahad Suri was also present on the occasion.
Meanwhile, India's Deputy Chief of Mission Abu Mathen George and Counsellor Y Sabir met Ahmed Abdulaziz Bin Salamah, Head of Expatriate Affairs Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia on Monday.
"Deepening ties on consular and community welfare. DCM Mr. Abu Mathen George , Mr. Y. Sabir, Counsellor, met with H.E. Ahmed Abdulaziz Bin Salamah, Head of Expatriate Affairs Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss mechanisms to strengthen bilateral cooperation on aspects relating the Indian community in KSA," the Embassy wrote on X.
Last week, Ambassador Khan met Riyadh's Governor Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and discussed the steadily growing bilateral relations.
"Ambassador Dr. Suhel Khan paid a farewell call on His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Governor of Riyadh, at the Imarah, Riyadh today," the Embassy of India in Saudi Arabia wrote on X.
"The Ambassador expressed his gratitude to His Royal Highness for the support extended to him during his tenure in Riyadh and for his continued care and attention toward the Indian community in Saudi Arabia," it added.
"They also exchanged views on the steadily growing bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia," noted the Embassy.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Hopefully this MoU leads to real on-ground results for Indian farmers. Our irrigation systems still waste so much water. Would be nice to see some pilot projects in water-scarce regions.
This is a fantastic example of South-South cooperation. Both nations face water scarcity but have different strengths. India can offer watershed management techniques while Saudi brings advanced desalination tech.
Good diplomatic move by the ambassador. The consular talks with Saudi officials on community welfare also show how India balances strategic partnerships with caring for our 2.5 million workers there. Win-win!
Interesting to see both countries cooperating on water. Climate change is hitting the Middle East and South Asia hard. Hope this MoU includes some joint research on climate-resilient agriculture.
While I support international cooperation, I hope our government also focuses on domestic water issues. Cauvery disputes, groundwater depletion in Punjab, and Mumbai's water crisis need urgent attention too. MoUs are good but local action is critical.
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