Indian PM Modi to visit Saudi Arabia from April 22-23
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Saudi Arabia on 22–23 April, marking his first trip to the Kingdom during his third term. The visit, at Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s invitation, aims to deepen a strategic partnership spanning trade, defense, and regional stability.
Several MoUs, including one on green hydrogen, are expected to be signed by the two sides following the talks, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said at a press conference Saturday. There will be an effort to infuse a "strategic" dimension to India-Saudi Arabia energy cooperation, he added.
The foreign secretary said that Modi's visit will provide an opportunity to build on the already strong strategic partnership between India and Saudi Arabia. Misri indicated that there could be discussions on how to take steps to facilitate Saudi Arabia's plan to invest $100 billion in India.
It was during his last visit in 2019 that the two countries had decided to elevate the bilateral ties to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership. Several big-ticket and high-value initiatives have been undertaken since then, as a result of which Saudi Arabia has not only emerged as one of India’s largest trading partners but has also become a close partner in deepening defence and security ties with India.
The visit also comes at a critical inflection point in the West Asian region. The region has been battling with uncertainty and conflict for almost two years, since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023. Saudi Arabia has found itself in the middle of the conflict, having to rally support for the Palestinians and make critical decisions as the de facto leader of the region. The Gaza war has also upset several geopolitical equations for Saudi Arabia, with the normalisation of ties with Israel and the defence deal with the US being the two important ones.
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