PM Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman held talks on a series of topics aimed at fortifying bilateral ties on multiple fronts, from economy and trade to culture and defence.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Hyderabad House here after the latter was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Both leaders also held bilateral talks and signed key deals on energy and agriculture.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Crown Prince & PM of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman held the first Leaders’ Meeting of the India- Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council. “Agenda included a broad range of areas of bilateral cooperation including energy security, trade and investment, defence and security, healthcare, food security, culture and community welfare issues among others,” tweeted MEA spox Arindam Bagchi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Crown Prince & PM of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman held the first Leaders’ Meeting of the India- Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council.
“Agenda included a broad range of areas of bilateral cooperation including… pic.twitter.com/EdL4qDnXCE
— ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2023
Notably, this is the Saudi Crown Prince’s second state visit to India since February 2019. He reached Delhi on September 8 for the G20 Summit. However, he extended his stay for the bilateral talks with PM Modi.
#WATCH | Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/EE7l3z7G1t
— ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2023
Both leaders are also expected to hold a series of high-level interactions aimed at fortifying bilateral ties on multiple fronts, from economy and trade to culture and defence. The talks will also span across a diverse range of topics, ranging from political, security, defence, trade, economic and cultural spheres.
To further foster people-to-people ties, which remain a cornerstone of India-Saudi Arabia relations, both leaders will explore avenues to enhance cultural exchanges and appreciate the significant role played by the Indian diaspora in Saudi Arabia, which stands strong at 2.4 million people.
Earlier in the day, the Saudi Arabian leader was accorded a ceremonial reception at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan as he began his state visit after having participated in the 18th G20 Leaders’ summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu welcomed the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman then inspected a combined defence services Guard of Honour. In a brief statement Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulated India for a successful G20 presidency.
“Well done India, a lot of announcements made that will benefit both our countries, the G20 countries and the whole world. So I want to say to India well done, and we will work to create a future for both countries” he said.
At the G20 Leaders’ Summit on Saturday, India, the United States, Saudi Arabia and the European Union announced a historic agreement to launch a mega India-Middle East-Europe shipping and railway connectivity corridor.
This is a historic and first-of-its-kind initiative on cooperation on connectivity and infrastructure involving India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, EU, France, Italy, Germany and the US.
Speaking at the same forum, Prince Mohammed bin Salman said, “… We look forward to the integration of the initiative and the Economic Corridor project which is announced in this meeting. I would like to thank those who worked with us to reach this founding step to establish this important economic corridor…”
PM Narendra Modi said the mega-deal would give a sustainable direction to connectivity and sustainability across the world.