Lavanya Kukreja/VOIWORLD
On June 29, Mr. Suhel Ajaz Khan, the Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia met with the Chief
Executive Officer, Mr. Nizar Abdulaziz Altwaijiri and the Chief Business Officer, Mr. Atul Choudrie, of
the Saudi Telecom Company Bank (STC). The meeting was held in the Indian Embassy in Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia and was hosted by Ambassador Khan. The three respected figures met together to
discuss the STC Bank’s services and offerings directed towards the Indian community and businesses
that are a part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). They also explored the facilities offered to
Indian travellers visiting the country by the bank.
This was a highly important and strategic meeting as STC Bank is constantly trying to tailor its
services such as remittance solutions or payment systems to improve its facilities catered towards
the Indian population in SA. This high-level discussion will help India supports its overseas citizens
and increase their trust in their country of origin as well as help the recently evolved, STC Bank to
strengthen its ties with international communities through carefully
ABOUT AMBASSADOR DR. SUHEL AJA Z KHAN
Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan is a career diplomat, having more than 25 years long diplomatic career. Dr. Khan has a graduate degree in Medicine (M.B.B.S) from M.G.M. Medical College in Indore, India and an Advanced Diploma in Arabic Language from the American University, Cairo. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1997.
Dr. Khan’s first diplomatic assignment was to the Embassy of India, Cairo from 1999 to 2001, where, apart from the other duties at the Embassy, he obtained an Advanced Diploma in Arabic Language from the American University, Cairo.
He later served at the Indian Embassy Damascus, handling administration, media and political work from 2002 to 2005. His next diplomatic assignment was as Consul at the Consulate General of India, Jeddah from 2005 to 2008, where he was handling a number of issues including the Haj matters and Haj arrangements for the Indian pilgrims.
Later, Dr. Khan worked as Deputy Secretary in the WANA (West Asia North Africa) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs from 2008 to 2009. This was followed by his next diplomatic assignment at the Indian High Commission, Islamabad from 2009 to 2011 where he handled visa and consular matters.
Between 2011 and 2013, Dr. Khan served as Director in the office of Minister of State for External Affairs Mr. E. Ahamed. He accompanied the Minister on many of his foreign official visits including to attend UNSC meeting in 2011 when India was a member of the UNSC.
In 2013, Dr. Khan moved to Vienna as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy and Permanent Mission of India. While in Vienna, Dr. Khan handled political and multilateral work. Between 2013 and 2017 he was part of the Indian delegations to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), the UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) and the UNCOPUOS (United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space) meetings. He also served as Rapporteur of the Programme and Budget Committee of the IAEA in 2015, G-77 Coordinator for the UNIDO matters in 2015 and as Governing Body representative on the Staff Pension Committee of the UNIDO from 2016 to 2017. He was also Head of the Indian Delegation to the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons in December 2014 at Vienna. Dr. Khan served as a member of the United Nations Pension Board in 2016 and 2017.
Dr. Khan worked at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh from September 2017 to June 2019 as Deputy Chief of Mission, with the personal rank of Ambassador. There he handled many important assignments, including as Chief Liaison Officer for the India’s participation in prestigious Janadriya Festival, as Guest of Honour, in 2018.
Dr. Khan served as Indian Ambassador to Lebanon from June 2019 till January 2023. During his tenure he undertook a number of business and cultural activities.
Dr. Khan has arrived in Riyadh, on January 15, 2023 and assumed charge as the Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on January 16, 2023.
