Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to make a high-profile visit to Saudi Arabia next week. Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, extended him an invitation. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the upcoming visit on April 22-23 will be the first visit of the Prime Minister to Saudi Arabia in his third term.
Previously, PM Modi has travelled to the country twice in 2016 and 2019. In September 2023, Mohammed Bin Salman made a state visit to New Delhi. He was here in India to attend the G20 Summit and co-chair the 1st meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council.
Close Ties Between India And Saudi Arabia
India and Saudi Arabia share friendly and close ties. Both countries share strong bilateral relations and have a long history of socio-cultural and trade contacts. They have remained strategic partners across various fields, including politics, investment, defence, technology, education, etc. Over the past ten years, India’s relations with Saudi Arabia have evolved into a long-standing partnership. The upcoming visit of PM Modi is a strong reflection of India’s attachment to its bilateral relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Opportunity To Strengthen Multi-Faceted Partnership
According to the MEA, the visit will provide opportunities to further strengthen the multi-faceted partnership, as well as exchange ideas and views on several regional and international issues of mutual interest. His visit comes at a time when the United States and Iran are holding meetings, trying to seek a deal on the latter’s nuclear programme and tensions related to the Hamas-Israeli conflict. This will be followed by US President Donald Trump’s expected visit of US President visit next month.
