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Jaswant Singh to visit Saudi Arabia

India's concerns over recent trends in oil prices will be conveyed to Saudi Arabia during External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh's visit there later this month, a government official said in New Delhi on Friday.

Singh's three-day visit starts on October 17, and he will meet Saudi King Fahd, Crown Prince Abdullah and top government officials, including the Saudi Arabian petroleum minister.

"India and Saudi Arabia need to have forward-looking bilateral trade," a foreign ministry official told reporters.

"The timing of the meeting is important as India is now facing the challenge of oil price increases. The need for stability in international oil prices will be underscored during the discussions," he added.

"The visit will lead to better understanding of India's concerns of energy security which is very important."

Saudi Arabia is the largest supplier of crude oil and petroleum products to India.

"Out of the total annual bilateral trade pegged at three billion dollars, Indian exports 750 million dollars of traditional items such as tea and spices," said the official.

"The rest of the trade is made up of crude and petroleum product imports from Saudi Arabia," said the official.

The two sides are also expected to sign agreements, including one on fighting drug trafficking, the ministry official said.

This is the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Saudi Arabia in the last five years and the first high-level political contact in the last two decades.

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