India’s trade with Arab nations surpasses $240 billion, Muraleedharan says DUBAI: The number of Indian nationals living in Arab countries has hit 9 million, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Vellamvelly Muraleedharan has revealed. The minister also told the sixth India-Arab Partnership Conference in New Delhi, that India’s trade with Arab nations had surpassed $240 billion, the Emirates News Agency reported on Wednesday. The conference was being held under the terms of a memorandum of cooperation signed in December 2008 between the Arab League and India and is staged alternately in India and an Arab country. Addressing ministers, senior officials, and businesspeople, Muraleedharan said: “(India-Arab relations) have withstood the test of time. Even during the recent (coronavirus) pandemic and global geopolitical conflicts, trade between India and the Arab world continued to grow. “The region caters to about 60 percent of India’s crude oil imports and more than 50 percent of fertilizers and related products, making our partnership robust and indispensable.” The minister pointed out that India’s vast expatriate community in the Arab world had contributed to the success of their countries of residence over time. “A new thrust to our economic engagement is now being provided through entrepreneurship, science and technological collaboration, environmental protection, and a greater focus on food and energy security,” he added.