During the course of the next two days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia to strengthen the multi-dimensional and deep-rooted partnership between the two countries. The Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman, invited India’s External Affairs Minister, who, the Ministry of External Affairs said, ‘marks India’s growing importance of these relations’.
This is Modi’s third visit to Saudi Arabia, and comes shortly after the Crown Prince paid a landmark visit to India in September 2023 to co-chair the first of its kind meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council. Modi is to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other high-ranking Saudi officials in Jeddah to discuss a wide range of issues.
The visit is meant to consolidate cooperation in different areas, including defence, security, energy, investment, trade and people-to-people contacts. In the last decade, relations between India and Saudi Arabia have gone a long way, transforming them into a robust and strategic partnership. Since then, both countries have become much invested, have beefed up defence cooperation, and have been much engaged politically and economically.
Regional security dynamics, including the situation in the region related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and the stability in West Asia, as well as other international issues of direct mutual interests, are the key topics that are expected to be discussed during the visit.
The trade value between India and Saudi Arabia is very dynamic, and it amounts to $43.3 billion in 2023-24. Now, India is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest trade partner and a key player in the Kingdom’s food security, exporting rice worth nearly $1 billion per annum. Modi’s visit will be a valuable hand for carrying out mutual examination and growth in trade and investment ties, and also assessing new routes to collaboration.
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates
Click Here for Chhattisgarh News
Click Here for Entertainment News