Saudi Arabia, India expand Strategic Partnership Council
WAM
23 Apr 2025, 13:40 GMT+10
JEDDAH, 23rd April, 2025 (WAM) -- Saudi Arabia and India have agreed to expand the Saudi-Indian Strategic Partnership Council to include four ministerial committees, featuring a ministerial committee for defence cooperation and another for tourism and culture.
Emphasising the significance of joint efforts in addressing global challenges, both countries also committed to enhancing cooperation and coordination within international organisations and forums, including the G20, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. This commitment aims to bolster efforts in addressing global economic challenges.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the announcement was made in a joint statement issued at the conclusion of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Kingdom.
The two sides highlighted the solid foundation of their bilateral relations, which continue to grow through a strategic partnership spanning various sectors such as defence, security, energy, trade, investment, technology, agriculture, culture, health, education and people-to-people ties.
They also exchanged views on regional and international developments of mutual interest.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
21 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Jaishankar, Iranian counterpart Araghchi discuss latest situation
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held telephonic conversation with Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday and spoke about the latest situation. In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, "Spoke to Iranian FM @araghchi this evening on the latest situation." The talks between the two leaders come in the wake of Operation Rising Lion, launched by Israel against Iran. Jaishankar received a phone call from Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar regarding ongoing developments. "Existing channels of dialogue and diplomacy should be utilised to work towards a de-escalation of the situation and resolving underlying issues. India enjoys close and friendly relations with both the countries and stands ready to extend all possible support," the statement said. "Our Missions in both countries are in contact with the Indian community. All Indian nationals in the region are advised to exercise caution, stay safe and follow local security advisories," it added. Earlier, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) said Israel launched a "precise, preemptive strike" in Iran. The spokesperson BG Effie Defrin said the strikes aimed at damaging Iran's nuclear program and in response to the Iranian regime's ongoing aggression against Israel. "For years, the Iranian regime has called for the destruction of the State of Israel, planning and advancing concrete military plans to do so. Over the past few months, intelligence has shown that Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon. This morning, the IDF began pre-emptive and precise strikes targeting the Iranian nuclear program in order to prevent the Iranian regime's ability to build a nuclear bomb in the immediate timeframe," he said. He said the airstrikes were aimed at protecting Israel's right to exist and for their future. "We have no choice. We are operating against an imminent and existential threat. We cannot allow the Iranian regime to obtain a nuclear weapon that would be a danger to Israel and the entire world. This operation is for our right to exist here, for our future and for our children's future. The State of Israel has the right and the obligation to operate in order to protect its people and will continue to do so," he said. Netanyahu had announced the launch of a large-scale military campaign, Operation Rising Lion, aimed at dismantling what he described as an existential threat posed by Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Netanyahu said Israel had struck multiple high-value Iranian targets in a decisive first strike. "Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival," he said, adding that the mission would continue "for as many days as it takes to remove this threat."The Israeli leader accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapons programme in defiance of global warnings, pointing to enriched uranium stockpiles capable of producing multiple nuclear bombs." Netanyahu likened the current moment to the prelude to World War II, referencing the Holocaust and past global inaction in the face of rising threats. "Eighty years ago, the Jewish people were the victims of a holocaust perpetrated by the Nazi regime. Today, the Jewish state refuses to be a victim of a nuclear holocaust perpetrated by the Iranian regime," he said. Reaffirming Israel's red lines, Netanyahu declared: "Now, as Prime Minister, I've made it clear time and again. Israel will never allow those who call for our annihilation to develop the means to achieve that goal. Tonight, Israel backs those words with action.
The Hindu
30 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Watch: Ahmedabad plane black box recovered, PM Modi visits crash site, Israel strikes Iran & more
Here are the top headlines of the day. Black box found at site of India plane crash that killed 265 The black box of the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport was recovered, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said. Its analysis will provide vital clues about what lead to the disaster. In a post on X, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that the recovery 'marks an important step forward in the investigation'. The Ahmedabad–London Air India flight, carrying 242 people, crashed into the BJ Medical College complex just minutes after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday. 265 people lost their lives in the incident, making this one of India's biggest aviation disasters. The bodies of six victims were handed over to their families after identification today. In case of the other bodies, which are partially or fully charred, it will take around 72 hours to complete the exercise of matching their DNA samples, police said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits plane crash site Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site of the deadly plane crash and met the injured at the civil hospital in Ahmedabad. He arrived at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in the morning and drove straight to the plane crash site. He spent around 20 minutes inspecting the site. Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi accompanied the prime minister. He spoke to Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, the lone plane survivor of the tragedy, at the city civil hospital, and also met other persons injured in the accident. He visited the C7 ward of the hospital, where 25 injured people are undergoing treatment, and interacted with the doctors. He met state and civil aviation officers and was briefed on the tragedy. The prime minister also met the former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was onboard the flight. India abstains on Gaza ceasefire resolution in UNGA, just six months after voting for a similar resolution India abstained from a UNGA resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza for the fourth time in three years. India had voted in favour of a UNGA resolution for ceasefire in December 2024, making this a significant departure from India's position just six months ago. According to a leaked demarch reported by U.S. media, the Trump administration has 'warned' partner countries not to join the conference or to make pledges for the recognition of Palestine. India recognised Palestine in 1988, and is among 147 of 193 UNGA countries that have already recognised the Palestinian state. The resolution entitled 'Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations'was introduced by Spain at the UNGA on Thursday evening. 149 of 180 countries voted for the resolution . The United States, Israel and ten other countries voted against the resolution. India was one of 19 abstentions on the vote. India was the only country in South Asia, BRICS or the SCO groupings to abstain. Explaining the vote, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Paravathaneni Harish said that India was 'deeply concerned' about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but that it decided to abstain 'in continuation' of previous votes in December 2022 criticising Israel for Human Rights violations and in December 2024 that referred the Israeli bombardment of Gaza to the International Court of Justice. India had also abstained in a vote calling for a ceasefire in October 2023 and two other resolutions pertaining to human rights investigations in 2023-2024. Iran says Israel attack 'declaration of war', Trump asks Iran to take the deal After Israel launched an array of strikes against dozens of Iranian targets on Friday, Iran said that Israel's actions are a declaration of war. Israel hit nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories in Iran and targeted military commanders during the start of an operation to prevent Tehran from building a nuclear weapon. Israel launched an attack on Iran even as the US and Iran were preparing to hold a sixth round of talks on Sunday on Tehran's uranium enrichment programme. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that the strikes would 'continue as many days as it takes', while the military said intelligence showed Iran was approaching the 'point of no return' on its nuclear programme. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel it faced a 'bitter and painful' fate over the attacks, and President Masoud Pezeshkian said 'Iran will make the enemy regret its foolish act'. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack as a 'declaration of war'. Trump urged Iran to 'make a deal', warning that there will be more 'death and destruction' after Israel launched deadly strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. He had given Tehran a 60-day ultimatum, which expired on Thursday, to make a deal. He encouraged Tehran to take advantage of a 'second chance.'
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
36 minutes ago
- Business Standard
India, France to intensify defence, space & civilian nuclear cooperation
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held wide-ranging discussions with French counterpart Jean-Nol Barrot on a range of issues and the two sides agreed to intensify bilateral cooperation in areas like defence, security, space and civilian-nuclear collaboration. Jaishankar also expressed India's "deep appreciation" to France for the strong condemnation of the cross-border terrorist attack that took place on April 22 in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam and thanked Paris for its "steadfast support for India's right to defend itself against terrorism". Addressing a joint press conference in Marseille after the meeting, he underlined that there has been a "very high degree of trust" between India and France over the years as one looks at their relationship and cooperation. He said the two sides also discussed global and regional issues like the situation in the Indian subcontinent, the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific. "It has always been our position that this is not an era where differences should be settled through war. We believe that dialogue and diplomacy is the answer... No solutions are going to come out of the battlefield has always been our position. We believe that direct negotiations between the parties concerned are most important," he said. The minister said this is a widespread sentiment in the world, especially in the Global South, that nobody wants to see this conflict continue and the sooner it is brought to an end, the better it is. Jaishankar said that the two sides held "wide-ranging discussions, which covered defence, civilian nuclear energy, space, counterterrorism, people-to-people relations, innovation, AI, technology". "And, we spent a little while discussing how between education, research, business and mobility, how we can really add new ways of adding more substance to our relationship," he said. "Defence, security, space, civilian nuclear cooperation, I think we agreed to intensify all of these through very concrete measures and projects in the time to come," he added. Jaishankar said they had "very good discussions" and it was a pleasure to participate in the Raisina Mediterranean Dialogue here. On the Indo-Pacific, he said, both nations share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific where international law and maritime security are upheld. "We discussed joint efforts for collaboration to promote those objectives." He also recalled his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday. "In terms of our strategic partnership, our enduring partnership, it is built on shared values, on a strong sense of sovereignty, our democratic commitment, on independence, on strategic autonomy guiding our foreign policy, and obviously our commitment to multilateralism and respect for international laws," he said. "When I look at the horizon, what is important is the India-France Year of Innovation next year, so we are gearing up to use that as an additional new driver of our relationship, and we are in many ways trying to prepare for that," he said. In February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited France and co-chaired the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris along with Macron. Jaishankar said his conversations with Barrot also covered the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC), and "our triangular development cooperation, how do we take forward some of our trilateral mechanisms, we have one with the UAE, and with Australia". "I look forward to a more detailed conversation about President Macron's recent visit to the Indo-Pacific," he added. Jaishankar termed culture and people-to-people ties between the two countries a "very special aspect of our relationship with France". "You welcome a lot of students to this country, we hope that the numbers can grow in the year to come. We also see France as a very valued partner in our national museum project in Delhi.. as well as we discussed cooperation for our National Maritime Heritage Complex that we are building," he added. On a query on the AI place crash on Thursday, he said, "It's been really a very tragic event, and I have been in the last 24 hours, in touch with my counterparts in the UK, Portugal and Canada because they also lost their citizens." "We again appreciate very much the condolences, sympathy and support we got from the French government, and I think, we will have to wait to see more authoritative news about whatever has been found and what the analysis show," he said.
