New Delhi

Suhel Ajaz Khan, the Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, has been appointed as the next Ambassador to Yemen as well, with his base remaining in Riyadh, according to a government. Ajaz Khan, an Indian Foreign Service officer from the 1997 batch, is set to assume this new role soon.

Expressing his gratitude, Ajaz Khan posted on X, I am honored to take on the additional responsibility of concurrent accreditation to Yemen. I look forward to working with the Internationally Recognized Government in Yemen to enhance India-Yemen relations.

Earlier, on January 8, former Union Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan, met with Suhel Ajaz Khan and other Indian Consulate officials in Jeddah.

Muraleedharan, along with former Union Minister Smriti Irani, signed the Bilateral Haj Agreement 2024 with Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah, in Jeddah. The agreement sets a quota of 175,025 pilgrims from India for Haj 2024. Of these, 140,020 seats will be allocated through the Haj Committee of India, benefiting many first-time pilgrims, while 35,005 seats will be reserved for Haj Group Operators, as announced by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.