JUBAIL: Indian Ambassador Ahmed Javed said that the Indian community in Saudi Arabia has not been affected by the family fees imposed on dependents of expatriates.

Javed told the Sabq news website that a large proportion of Indian expatriates came to the Kingdom without their families; therefore, the effect of the newly imposed family fees on them was minimal.

He also said Jubail and Jeddah have the largest proportion of Indian workers in Saudi Arabia, whose total number comes to about 3.2 million, and who work in different areas across the Kingdom.

Javed said the Indian Embassy always responds to the needs of Indian expatriates, and it recently opened a visa and passport office in Jubail in order to serve Indian expatriates in the area.

This came on the sidelines of the celebration which was held on Friday in Jubail to mark the arrival of the Indian Coast Guard ship Samarth to Jubail Commercial Port on a three-day visit which aims to enhance cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Saudi maritime authorities and hold joint exercises.

In this context, Javed said that he was “pleased with the cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia in the military and maritime fields. The target of the visit is the exchange of expertise between the two countries and conducting joint exercises.”

This is the first visit of the Samarth to the Kingdom, and a number of reporters attended the press conference held on board the ship.

The Samarth is participating in joint programs with the Saudi marine and equipment services during the three-day visit, including responding to marine pollution, search and rescue, and law enforcement.

The ship is accompanied by 25 officers and 115 employees, and it is currently based in Goa on the west coast of India.