Jeddah: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir as they co-chaired the Strategic Partnership Council, aimed at further strengthening the friendship between the two countries.
The prime minister, who arrived in Jeddah earlier in the day, decided to cut short his two-day visit and departed for New Delhi on Tuesday night following the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists. He was originally scheduled to return to India on Wednesday night.
Modi also delayed his scheduled meeting with the Crown Prince by at least two hours to assess the situation in Kashmir.
During Modi’s visit, the two sides created two new ministerial committees, including one on defence, and agreed to collaborate on establishing two refineries in India. They also signed four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in the fields of space, health, anti-doping education, and postal cooperation.
“Discussions focused on exploring avenues across domains including defence, trade, investment, energy and people-to-people ties, to further deepen the multi-faceted India-Saudi Arabia bilateral relations,” the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
Modi and the Crown Prince “also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest & the ongoing – cooperation under the IMEEC initiative,” the post added.
Earlier, Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Al Salam Palace (Palace of Peace), where he was received by Crown Prince Mohammed. The two leaders hugged as they greeted each other, according to the photographs shared by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
It was followed by detailed bilateral discussions and the meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC), which was established during the prime minister’s 2019 visit to strengthen bilateral ties.
Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Suhel Ajaz Khan, said the meeting began with a reference to the unfortunate terror attack that has happened in India. “Both leaders expressed their condemnation for the terror attack. The Crown Prince conveyed his condolences and sympathies, and offered any help in this regard to us,” the envoy said.
India and Saudi Arabia have cooperation in issues related to terrorism, and they continue to work together, he added.
The MEA said that during the meeting, the Crown Prince “strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack & expressed his deepest condolences on the innocent lives lost.” “The bilateral meeting was fruitful and forward-looking,” Khan said, noting that four agreements were signed to broaden ties during the second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council.
“The Council reviewed the work of the various committees, subcommittees and working groups under the SPC, which encompass political, defence, security, trade, investment, energy, technology, agriculture, culture and people-to-people ties,” according to an official statement.
To reflect the deepening of defence partnership over the past few years – including joint exercises, training programmes, and collaboration in the defence industry, the two sides decided to create a new ministerial committee on defence cooperation, it said.
The two sides decided to create a new ministerial committee on tourism and cultural cooperation to strengthen cultural and people-to-people ties, which has had significant momentum in recent years.
Both sides also agreed to collaborate on establishing two refineries in India.
“Building on the commitment of Saudi Arabia to invest USD 100 billion in India in multiple areas including energy, petrochemicals, infrastructure, technology, fintech, digital infrastructure, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and health, the joint High-Level Task Force (HLTF) on Investment came to an understanding in multiple areas to rapidly promote such investment flows,” the statement said.
It said that the progress made by HLTF in areas such as taxation is a major breakthrough for greater investment cooperation in the future.
Modi thanked the Crown Prince for the support and welfare extended to the Indian community in Saudi Arabia. He also appreciated the support provided by the Saudi government for the Indian Haj pilgrims, according to a statement by the MEA.
This was the prime minister’s third visit to the Gulf Kingdom and the first to the historic city of Jeddah.
“This visit will strengthen the friendship between India and Saudi Arabia,” Modi earlier posted on X in English and Arabic.
As a special gesture, the prime minister’s aircraft was escorted by F-15s of the Royal Saudi Air Force in Saudi airspace. The gesture was seen as a deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries.
“Giving further momentum to our long-standing and historic ties. PM @narendramodi lands in the historic port city of Jeddah to a 21-gun salute & ceremonial welcome,” MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal said in a post on X.
The prime minister, who received Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour in 2016, has described the crown prince as “my brother”.
Saudi Arabia is home to 2.7 million Indians who live and work in the Gulf Kingdom.
In an interview with Arab News ahead of his visit, Modi described Saudi Arabia as “one of India’s most valued partners, a maritime neighbour, a trusted friend and a strategic ally”.
“We consider Saudi Arabia a force of positivity and stability in the region. As maritime neighbours, India and Saudi Arabia share a natural interest in safeguarding peace and stability in the region,” he said.
