Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
PM Modi is visiting Saudi Arabia from April 22 to 23 at the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.
Since 2014, PM Modi has transformed the trajectory of India’s relations with Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries.
This will be PM Modi’s third visit to the country, following earlier visits in 2016 and 2019.
All other Prime Ministers before him together visited Saudi Arabia three times in seven decades.
This also marks his 15th visit to a country in the Gulf region.
“Today, I embark on a two-day State visit to the Kingdom of Saudi at the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” he said in a pre-departure statement.
“India deeply values its long and historic ties with Saudi Arabia that have acquired strategic depth and momentum in recent years. Together, we have developed a mutually beneficial and substantive partnership including in the domains of defence, trade, investment, energy and people to people ties. We have shared interest and commitment to promote regional peace, prosperity, security and stability,” he added.
Calling Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman his ‘brother’, PM Modi said that he looked forward to the second Meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council.
“This will be my third visit to Saudi Arabia over the past decade and a first one to the historic city of Jeddah. I look forward to participating in the second Meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council and build upon the highly successful State visit of my brother His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman to India in 2023,” the Prime Minister said.
“I am also eager to connect with the vibrant Indian community in Saudi Arabia that continues to serve as the living bridge between our nations and making immense contribution to strengthening the cultural and human ties,” he said.
As part of the visit, PM Modi is expected to visit a factory where Indian workers are employed. He will interact with them during his time there.
During a special press briefing on Saturday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said 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.
