Latest news with #MinisterialCommitteeonDefenceCooperation
Indian Express
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
India, Saudi Arabia condemn terrorism, hail ties
In a strongly-worded message to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday condemned 'cross-border terrorism', and called on all States to reject the use of terrorism against other countries, dismantle terrorism infrastructure and bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice swiftly. This was part of the joint statement issued after the Prime Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia, that was cut short due to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday. Modi returned on Wednesday morning, instead of on Wednesday night. The joint statement specifically condemned the attack, as it said, 'Both sides strongly condemned the gruesome terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025, which claimed the lives of innocent civilians. In this context, the two sides condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, and emphasized that this remains one of the gravest threats to humanity.' 'They agreed that there cannot be any justification for any act of terror for any reason whatsoever. They rejected any attempt to link terrorism to any particular race, religion or culture,' it said. 'They welcomed the excellent cooperation between the two sides in counter-terrorism and the terror financing. They condemned cross-border terrorism, and called on all States to reject the use of terrorism against other countries, dismantle terrorism infrastructure where it exists, and bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice swiftly. Both sides stressed the need to prevent access to weapons including missiles and drones to commit terrorist acts against other countries,' it said. This followed the terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, where 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. On Tuesday, Modi delayed his scheduled meeting with the Saudi crown prince by at least two hours to assess the situation in Kashmir. The PM, who held bilateral talks with the Saudi crown prince, skipped an official dinner before returning home on Tuesday night. The Muslim World League, based in Makkah, also condemned the terrorist attack. During the talks, Modi and MBS appreciated the deepening of the defence ties as a key pillar of the strategic partnership and welcomed the creation of a Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation under the Strategic Partnership Council. 'They noted with satisfaction the growth of their joint defence cooperation including numerous 'firsts; like the first ever Land Forces exercise 'Sada Tanseeq', two rounds of the Naval exercises 'Al Mohed Al Hindi', many high-level visits, and training exchanges, towards ensuring the security and stability of the region,' the statement said.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Terrorism, violent extremism remain gravest threats to humanity: PM Modi, Saudi crown prince
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have stressed that terrorism and violent extremism remain among the gravest threats to humanity and there cannot be any justification for any act of terror for any reason whatsoever, according to a joint statement issued on Wednesday. The two leaders have stressed the need to prevent access to weapons, including missiles and drones, to commit terror acts against other countries. Modi decided to cut short his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and departed for New Delhi on Tuesday night following a terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, where 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. He was originally scheduled to return to India on Wednesday night. "Both sides strongly condemned the gruesome terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April, 2025, which claimed the lives of innocent civilians. In this context, the two sides condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, and emphasised that this remains one of the gravest threats to humanity. They agreed that there cannot be any justification for any act of terror for any reason whatsoever," the statement said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gagnez 250€ par jour en Bourse avec ce Robot de Trading révolutionnaire et entièrement gratuit ! En savoir plus Undo "They rejected any attempt to link terrorism to any particular race, religion or culture. They welcomed the excellent cooperation between the two sides in counter-terrorism and terror financing," it added. The two leaders condemned cross-border terrorism and called on all countries to reject the use of terrorism against others, dismantle terror infrastructure where it exists and bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice swiftly. Live Events "Both sides stressed the need to prevent access to weapons including missiles and drones to commit terrorist acts against other countries," the statement said. On Tuesday, Modi delayed his scheduled meeting with the Saudi crown prince by at least two hours to assess the situation in Kashmir. The prime minister, who held bilateral talks with the Saudi crown prince, skipped an official dinner before returning home on Tuesday night. During the talks, the two sides appreciated the deepening of the defence ties as a key pillar of the strategic partnership and welcomed the creation of a Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation under the Strategic Partnership Council. "They noted with satisfaction the growth of their joint defence cooperation including numerous 'firsts; like the first ever Land Forces exercise SADA TANSEEQ, two rounds of the Naval Exercises AL MOHED AL HINDI, many high-level visits, and training exchanges, towards ensuring the security and stability of the region," the statement said. "They welcomed the outcomes of the 6th meeting of the Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation held in Riyadh in September 2024, noting the initiation of staff-level talks between all three services. Both sides also agreed to enhance defence industry collaboration," it added. Noting the continuing cooperation achieved in security fields, both sides highlighted the importance of this for better security and stability. "They also emphasised the importance of furthering cooperation between both sides in the areas of cybersecurity, maritime border security, combating transnational crime, narcotics and drug trafficking," the statement said.
United News of India
23-04-2025
- Business
- United News of India
PM Modi, Saudi Crown Prince MBS decide to create new Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation
Jeddah/New Delhi, Apr 23 (UNI) The India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC), co-chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Tuesday evening, decided to create a new Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation under it. The second leaders meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) 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. The discussions were followed by signing of the minutes by the two leaders, PM Modi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. To reflect the deepening of defence partnership over the past few years – including joint exercises, training programmes, and collaboration in defence industry, the Council decided to create a new Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation under the SPC, a statement said. To strengthen cultural and people-to-people ties, which has significant momentum in recent years, the Council decided to create a new Ministerial Committee on Tourism and Cultural Cooperation under the SPC. The four committees under the India-Saudi Arabia SPC shall now be as follows: (1) Political, Consular and Security Cooperation Committee. (2) Defence Cooperation Committee. (3) Economy, Energy, Investment and Technology Committee. (4) Tourism and Cultural Cooperation Committee. The two leaders also held a meeting under Joint High Level Task Force on Investment (HLTFI), a mechanism which was agreed upon during the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to India in September 2023. 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 on Investment came to an understanding in multiple areas to rapidly promote such investment flows. Both sides agreed to collaborate on establishing two refineries in India. The progress made by HLTF in areas such as taxation is a major breakthrough for greater investment cooperation in the future. The List of MoUs/Agreements signed during the meeting Tuesday between PM Modi and the Crown Prince were: *MoU between the Saudi Space Agency and the Department of Space of India on Cooperation in the field of Space Activities for Peaceful Purposes. *MoU between the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India on Cooperation in the field of Health. *MoU between the Saudi Arabian Anti-Doping Committee (SAADC) and the National Anti-Doping Agency, India (NADA) on Cooperation in the field of Anti-Doping Education and Prevention. *Agreement between the Saudi Post Corporation (SPL) and the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications of India on Cooperation in Inward Surface Parcel. The Strategic Partnership Council was set up in October 2019 during the state visit of PM Modi to Saudi Arabia to steer the bilateral relationship. The SPC has two pillars: i) Political-Security-Socio-Cultural (PSSC); and ii) Economic and Investment, with two more being added on Tuesday evening after the talks. The EAM and the Saudi Foreign Minister co-chair the Political-Security-Socio-Cultural (PSSC) pillar whereas the Economic pillar is co-chaired by Commerce & Industry Minister on Indian side and Energy Minister on Saudi side. There are eight JWGs/Subcommittees under the two pillars which conduct regular official level meetings. The first summit meeting of the SPC was held in New Delhi in September 2023, co-chaired by PM Modi and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. UNI RN
