Main driving force: Indian envoy credits PM Modi's vision for strengthened India-Saudi ties

Jeddah, April 22 (IANS) As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a landmark two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, India’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, Suhel Ajaz Khan, praised the PM’s leadership as the “main driving force” behind the rapid evolution of the ties between the two countries, calling the relationship one of the most robust in the region.

Speaking to IANS ahead of the visit, Ambassador Khan emphasised that this would be Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to Jeddah, unlike previous visits in 2016 and 2019, which were to Riyadh.

“Honourable Prime Minister is coming to Jeddah for this visit. On the previous two occasions when he visited Saudi Arabia, he came to Riyadh. This would be his first visit to Jeddah,” the Ambassador said.

“Jeddah has very special significance in terms of connectivity between India and Saudi Arabia. For centuries, Jeddah port has been the preferred port for trade between our countries, not just for Saudi Arabia, but for the region beyond. Traders used to come to Jeddah port and then move goods overland to other parts of the Middle East. It has a huge historical relevance," he added.

The visit will feature high-level talks between PM Modi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under the framework of the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC), a bilateral mechanism set up in 2019 to deepen cooperation across sectors.

“The SPC is a very unique and strong framework under which we have several subcommittees and working groups. These cover a wide array of topics in our bilateral relations, from the economy to defence, from cultural exchange to space cooperation. All of these will be reviewed during the talks,” Khan said.

On the expected outcomes, Ambassador Khan confirmed that several MoUs are likely to be signed across a range of sectors, reflecting the expanding scope of engagement between the two nations.

“When both the leaders meet, they discuss all components of our bilateral relationship. Economic partnership is one of the fulcrums of our ties. Our defence partnership has been growing in the last few years, and this will be part of the discussions,” he said.

“We’re looking to step up engagement in cultural cooperation, health, the space sector, investments, and trade. Several MoUs from various fields are going to be signed,” he further said.

Reflecting on the overall direction of the India-Saudi relationship, Ambassador Khan credited the strong political will on both sides as key to the progress made in recent years.

“The vision of leadership in both countries is the main driving force of our relationship. If you look at the last 10 years, there has been huge progress in bilateral ties, political, economic, defence, and cultural,” he said.

“This is PM Modi’s third visit to Saudi Arabia. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has visited India twice in 2019 and again in 2023. There’s been a lot of high-level engagement, which reflects the strength of the relationship,” he added.

Ambassador Khan also praised the alignment between India’s ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ vision and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, expressing optimism about future collaboration.

“Our community contributes not only to the Saudi economy but also sends significant remittances back home. They are well connected with India and play an important role in the Viksit Bharat 2047 mission,” he said.

“There are a lot of similarities and synergies between Saudi Vision 2030 and our vision of Viksit Bharat. We can benefit from each other’s resources and expertise.”

A key highlight of PM Modi’s visit will be his scheduled interaction with Indian workers at a local factory in Jeddah, which the Ambassador described as a deeply meaningful gesture.

“The Honourable Prime Minister will be visiting one of the factories here to meet Indian workers. He always makes it a point to interact with the Indian community wherever he goes,” Khan noted.

“This is a hugely significant gesture. The workers are all very, very excited to receive the Prime Minister, meet him, listen to him, and interact with him,” he added.

Speaking on the powerful role of the Indian diaspora in Saudi Arabia, which he described as one of the strongest foundations of bilateral friendship, he said, “One of the strongest components of our relationship is the Indian community. We have a very strong presence here, 2.7 million Indian workers and diaspora. In fact, in the last two years alone, 300,000 people have been added to the Indian diaspora in Saudi Arabia.”

“They enjoy immense respect and goodwill here. They have contributed to the development of Saudi Arabia over the decades and act as a living bridge between India and the Kingdom,” he added.

--IANS

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