PM Modi to embark on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia today. What's on the agenda in Jeddah?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia from today, April 22 at the invitation of Kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This will be PM Modi's third visit to the country, following earlier visits to Riyadh in 2016 and 2019.
During the visit, Modi will meet Salman in Jeddah, 'to further deepen and strengthen' ties between the two nations, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement last week.
The visit comes after Salman visited New Delhi in September 2023 during the G20 Summit and also co-chaired the first meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council.
Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Suhel Ajaz Khan told news agency that Modi, along with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, will chair the meeting of Strategic Partnership Council in Jeddah.
He said "large" number of MoUs will be signed, and the economic, defence partnership, and political relations between both countries will also be discussed during the PM's "hugely significant" visit from April 22 to April 23.
"There is a strategic partnership council between India and Saudi Arabia. So, both the leaders, the Honourable Prime Minister and His Royal Highness Crown Prince, are going to chair the Strategic Partnership Council meeting. A large number of MoUs are being finalised and will be signed in exchange during the visit, and a host of other issues on economic partnership, defence partnership on our way, all these things will be discussed. It's a hugely significant visit," Khan told ANI.
The Indian Ambassador said that this will be the first time the PM Modi will be visiting the Jeddah . His previous two visits have been to Riyadh, he said.
"The significance of the connectivity between India and Saudi Arabia because for centuries, Jeddah has been the port for our pilgrims who come for Umra and Hajj to come to Saudi Arabia," he added.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said during a special press briefing last week that the visit will provide an important opportunity to discuss key regional and global issues. These include the situation in West Asia, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and threats to maritime security due to Houthi attacks, he said
Misri also said that India and Saudi Arabia are likely to deepen their defence cooperation and expand their economic ties. Currently, bilateral trade between the two countries is valued at around USD 43 billion.
PM Modi's visit is being seen as a significant step in strengthening India's ties not just with Saudi Arabia, but with the entire Gulf and Islamic world.
Former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla noted that under PM Modi's leadership, the India-Saudi relationship has seen a major transformation, helped by the Prime Minister's strong personal bond with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
PM Modi is expected to visit a factory in Jeddah where Indian workers are employed. He will interact with them during his time there.
The visit comes at a time when tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump's US administration has forced countries to further strengthen trade relations with with allies for alternate markets.
Modi is also visiting Saudi Arabia at a time when his government in India is facing protests over changes to a decades-old law Waqf Laws governing Muslim-owned properties donated for religious and charitable purposes.
The significance of the connectivity between India and Saudi Arabia because for centuries, Jeddah has been the port for our pilgrims who come for Umra and Hajj.
Saudi Arabia, India's fifth-largest trading partner and home to 2.7 million of its Indian expatriates, plays a pivotal role in the global energy landscape.
Energy trade between the two nations was worth $25.7 billion during 2023-24. Saudi Arabia was India's third-largest source of both crude oil imports (14.3% of total imports) and liquefied petroleum gas (18% of total imports) in last financial year.
The Kingdom has been playing an important role in efforts to resolve the Israel-Hamas conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war.
First Published: 22 Apr 2025, 06:01 AM IST
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