Riyadh: The Indian mission in Saudi Arabia has welcomed Riyadh's decision to exempt Indian nationals from submitting a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) to obtain a visa for the country.

"Embassy of India welcomes this announcement and thanks Government of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its decision to exempt Indian Nationals from submission of Police Clearance Certificate (PCC). It will provide much needed relief to over 2 million strong Indian community in KSA," the Indian mission in Saudi Arabia tweeted.

On Thursday, Saudi Arabia announced that it will exempt Indian nationals from submitting a PCC to obtain a visa in a bid to strengthen relations between the two countries.

"In view of the strong relations and strategic partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of India, the Kingdom has decided to exempt Indian nationals from submitting a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC), the Saudi Embassy in New Delhi tweeted.

In a statement, the Saudi embassy made the announcement and appreciated the contribution of over two million Indian citizens living in the country.

"The PCC will no longer require Indian citizens to obtain a visa for travelling to Saudi Arabia. This decision has been taken as a part of the efforts of the two countries to strengthen their relations further. The Embassy appreciates the contribution of over two million Indian citizens living peacefully in the Kingdom," the statement read.

India-Saudi Arabia relations have strengthened considerably over the past few years including in political, security, energy, trade, investment, health, food security, cultural and defence fields.

The top leadership of both countries remained in close touch even during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier in September, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Saudi Arabia during which he reviewed all aspects of India-Saudi Arabia bilateral relations and discussed regional and global issues.

During Jaishankar's visit, several areas were identified for further enhancing bilateral cooperation such as food security, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, the defence industry and entertainment.