By IANS,
Lucknow : Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has sought more Saudi investment in Uttar Pradesh and greater cooperation with Riyadh in the fields of agriculture, education and tourism.
Yadav met Saudi ambassador Saud Mohammed Alsati when the latter visited Lucknow this week and discussed a wide spectrum of issues related to trade and investment.
Also discussed was the welfare of Indians residing in Saudi Arabia and Saudi nationals in the state.
“It was a very good meeting. We discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations,” the ambassador told IANS.
“UP is an important state, and over 100,000 people from the state who work in Saudi Arabia. There is a lot of Saudi business interest in this state,” he said.
Yadav asked the envoy to take part in the Jan 27-29 investment summit in Agra being organised with India’s commerce and industry ministry, and the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Uttar Pradesh is the partner state at the Partnership Summit 2013 whose theme is “Global Partnerships for Enduring Growth”.
The chief minister will chair a special session on “Uttar Pradesh: The Land of Opportunities” Jan 28 where he is expected to unveil his industry and investment-friendly policies.
Saudi businessmen have expressed interest in investing in the Indian economy and forming joint ventures, particularly in sectors like petrochemicals, fertilizer, food processing and health care.
The Saudi envoy also met Governor B.L. Joshi for an hour.