Jeddah:
In a bid to allay India's concerns over the controversial 'Nitaqat' labour law, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal today said "procedures" are being taken in the "best interest of Indian workers".
The Nitaqat law and the ongoing drive to identify workers who are overstaying in the Arab Kingdom was one of the main areas of focus during the talks held between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Saudi counterpart.
Besides the controversial law, the two leaders discussed a wide range of regional, international and bilateral issues including energy security, enhanced counter-terrorism cooperation, and the situation in Syria and Iran.
"The procedures taken are in the best interest of the Indian workers," Mr Faisal said in a joint press conference after his talks with Mr Khurshid.
Explaining further, he said, "Any worker who does not have papers, will be at the mercy of those who brought him here".
Mr Khurshid, on his part said, "Difficulties that may have risen would have to be addressed and they are being addressed very satisfactorily."
Under the Saudi rules, a person will have to find a sponsor in the country before an Indian or any other foreigner works here.
Faisal said people now have the opportunity to find a new job legally.
"As far as those who couldn't find new jobs, they will have to go back and there won't be any procedures (punitive action)," he said.
The 'Nitaqat' law makes it mandatory for local companies to hire one Saudi national for every 10 migrant workers.
As a result of this law, a number of people who were working without valid work permits and runaways have come under the scanner.
Once the three-month grace period ends on July 3, all those expatriates who are found in Saudi Arabia without valid papers will be jailed and heavily penalised.
As of May 20, 75,000 Indians have registered with the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah to be processed and be send back with 'emergency certificate'. There are over two million Indians in Saudi Arabia.
According to official figures, off the total processed applications of 56,734, there are 21,331 people from Uttar Pradesh as against 3,610 from Kerala.
Asked about the trend that the number of Indian's coming into Saudi has gone up even though the country was pushing out many, the Saudi Minister said the advantage will always be with people who have worked here but don't have the papers.
"..... The advantage will always be to those who are here but don't have the papers but have the same qualification as people who are coming in from abroad," Faisal said.
"I think it could be matter of supply and demand. And the people who are coming will know that because now everything would be established on the basis of legal (papers). They won't come unless they have a contract," the Minister said.
Asked about Nitaqat, Mr Khurshid said, "Yes, there was very detailed discussion and I thanked his Royal Highness, the Government of the Kingdom for the generosity that they have shown in matter of compliance with the labour laws of the country".
Mr Khurshid said, it was agreed that the labour laws of the country should be complied with.
"The grace period of three months that is being given is immensely useful and I think a majority of people will be able to resolve their future issues by shifting to appropriate new employers because they now have a very generous offer to be engaged by new employers," he said.
Mr Khurshid underlined that it is only "some unskilled people" who may not be accommodated.
"For them, provision would be made to get back home. We hope that the numbers and the paperwork that needs to be done will be kept in mind considering the facts we have on the three month grace period for being able to do this," he said.
"And we have offered many volunteers that may be required ...We will be willing to give help so that within the expected framework of timelines we are able to ensure that all these matters are satisfactorily addressed," Mr Khurshid said.
Contrary to other countries, an expatriate working here who wants to leave the country needs to get an exit certificate from the Saudi authorities before he or she can fly out.
Mr Khurshid had said that, "In terms of the number of people who are getting exit permits (issued by Saudi authorities), it is only 500 a day at present".
Meanwhile, talking about India-Saudi relations, Mr Khurshid said India regards Saudi Arabia as one of its "most valued strategic partners".
He said that the visit of the Saudi King in 2006 as Chief Guest at Republic Day and the historic 'Delhi Declaration' that was signed during that visit broadened bilateral relationship and opened a new era of intense dialogue and cooperation.
The 'Riyadh Declaration' signed during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2010 confirmed the joint commitment of our countries to pursue "a new era of strategic partnership", he said.
"Today we exchanged views on a number of bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of common and mutual interest," Mr Khurshid said.
"We reviewed the progress in the implementation of the Delhi Declaration and Riyadh Declaration, expressed satisfaction at the state of our bilateral relationship and discussed ways and means to further strengthen our strategic partnership," he said.
Mr Khurshid said that both leaders expressed satisfaction at the progress made in bilateral defence and security relations.
"The security and stability in the Arabian Peninsula is closely linked to the security in South Asia. We discussed the menace of terrorism the world continues to face and agreed to further strengthen our counter-terrorism cooperation which is an essential element of the Riyadh Declaration we signed in 2010," the External Affairs Minister said.
"Our cooperation would not only benefit our two countries but also contribute significantly to the stability and security of the entire region and beyond," he said.
Mr Khurshid said he and his Saudi counterpart held "productive discussions" on a wide range of regional and multilateral issues.
"Saudi Arabia is part of our extended neighbourhood. It is very important that we remain in constant touch on the developments in the region. We both have similar views on a large number of regional and global issues," he said.
Noting that both are two major countries in the region, Mr Khurshid said that despite the global economic down turn, both countries continue to grow.
"We expressed satisfaction at the steady increase in bilateral trade. I also pointed out the increasing Indian investment in Saudi Arabia and highlighted the opportunity for Saudi companies to invest in India and become partners in India's growth story," Mr Khurshid said.
"We agreed to further deepen our economic engagement by utilising the enormous synergies between our two economies in the hydrocarbon sector and beyond," he said.
The two leaders welcomed the regular meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Joint Commission Meeting and agreed on the need for speedy implementation of its recommendations to strengthen engagement.
Information Technology, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, education, new and renewable energy are among the several areas where we hope to cooperate, Mr Khurshid said.
"There is huge potential for the private sector in both countries for deepening their business engagement. In this century of Asia, further enhancing economic cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia would benefit not only the peoples of our two countries, but the entire region," he said.
Mr Khurshid said he expressed his gratitude to the King for the concessions that Saudi Arabia announced for expatriate workers to correct their status or return to their country without penal action.
"Indians are the most preferred community in Saudi Arabia due to their hard work and discipline. I pointed out the contributions of Indian Diaspora in the economic growth of India and emphasised the importance we attach to the welfare of the Indians abroad," he said.
"We also emphasised the need to further deepen our people to people exchanges through youth exchanges and cooperation in the education sector," he added.
Mr Khurshid said that both sides discussed the concerns of the region particularly Syria and also to remain in close touch to ensure that the cycle of violence is addressed with sense of urgency and we move to a peaceful future," he said.