The Indian President said " The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is important to the entire world in political, strategic and economic fields. Therefore, peace and stability in the Gulf region are vital for all of us. Moreover, we share common concern to combat terrorism which prompts us to promote greater cooperation in this regard. We do appreciate your initiative to hold an international counter-terrorism conference (in Riyadh). We look forward to comprehensive cooperation between the two countries to enhance further the security of our region. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been an important partner to India. We are pleased that the friendly links between the two countries have been enhanced further recently. In addition, our trade relations have grown faster, generating numerous opportunities for cooperation. "Nevertheless, we are good partners in the energy sector. A quarter of Indian imports of crude oil comes from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is expected that demand for energy will rise further with the rapid Indian economic growth. The Indian and Saudi companies are initiating advanced joint projects in the two countries. The sixth meeting of the Joint Indo-Saudi Commission, which was held in Riyadh in the month of April last year, had underlined the importance of our economic relations."--MORE 11 17 Local Time 08 17 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/321350