A Saudi-Indian partnership establishes a new era of strategic cooperation
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, stressed the historical relations that unite his country with India, noting that they are beneficial relations for both countries, and looking forward to the Saudi-Indian Strategic Partnership Council achieving its goals in all sectors. He praised the initiatives that came out of the G20 summit, including the economic corridor project linking India, the Middle East and Europe, which Prince Mohammed said: “It requires diligent work to achieve and transform it into reality.”
On Monday, Prince Mohammed bin Salman made an official visit to India with the conclusion of the G20 summit, during which he headed the Kingdom’s delegation to the summit that began two days ago in the capital, New Delhi, and witnessed several initiatives, most notably the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the sidelines of the G20 meetings, regarding a project. An economic corridor between India, the Middle East and Europe.
Immediately upon Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s arrival at the Presidential Palace (Rashtar Apti Bhawan), he was received by President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Murmu welcomed the Saudi Crown Prince, wishing him and his companions a pleasant stay, while he in turn expressed his happiness at this visit. An official reception ceremony was held for the Crown Prince, where the official procession upon entering the presidential palace gate was accompanied by a group of horses, and artillery fired 21 welcome shots. Then official photos were taken on this occasion. After that, the Saudi Royal and Indian Republican anthems were played, and then the honor guard paraded.
The Indian President is at the forefront of receiving the Saudi Crown Prince at the Presidential Palace in the capital, New Delhi (SPA)
Later, the Saudi Crown Prince met with the Indian Prime Minister at the Hyderabad Palace in New Delhi. During the meeting, they discussed the friendly relations and bilateral cooperation between the two countries in various fields and opportunities for developing them, in addition to reviewing regional and international issues of common interest and the efforts made regarding them. This was followed by the signing of the minutes of the Strategic Partnership Council between the governments of Saudi Arabia and India, signed by both Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Prime Minister of India.
The Saudi Crown Prince during his meeting with the Indian Prime Minister in New Delhi (SPA)
At the beginning of the Strategic Partnership Council meeting, Prince Mohammed bin Salman appreciated the great welcome he received with the Saudi delegation in India, noting that “India is a friendly country, and there are very long and historical relations between the Arabs and India and between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India, which are beneficial relations for both countries.” “There was no disagreement at all in the history of this relationship, but rather there was cooperation to build the future of our peoples and create opportunities.”
Part of the first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council between the governments of the two countries (SPA)
The Saudi Crown Prince added, while chairing the first session of the Partnership Council meeting with the Indian Prime Minister: “Today we are working on the upcoming opportunities in the future. There is a lot on the agenda that we are working on, and we hope through the Saudi-Indian Strategic Partnership Council to achieve these goals in all areas.” sectors, which are very promising.”
Regarding the memorandum of understanding announced at the G20 summit to establish an economic corridor linking India, the Middle East and Europe, the Crown Prince said: This special memorandum of understanding comes as a culmination of what has been worked on in the past months to crystallize the foundations on which this memorandum was built.
He added: “The economic corridor will achieve the common interests of our countries by enhancing economic interconnection, which will reflect positively on our partners from other countries and the global economy in general.” He continued: “We are working hard to implement the economic corridor on the ground.”
The Saudi Crown Prince congratulated the Prime Minister of India on the great achievement in managing the G20 summit file and the initiatives that emerged from it, including the corridor linking India, the Middle East and Europe, which he said: “It requires diligent work to achieve and transform it into reality.”
He pointed to the role of the Indian community in the economic growth of the Kingdom, adding: “Today it is approximately 7 percent of the population in Saudi Arabia, and we consider them part of us in the Kingdom. We take care of them as we take care of our citizens.”
The Saudi Crown Prince concluded his speech during the meeting: “We hope, through the Strategic Partnership Council, to achieve the aspirations of our peoples, and to succeed, God willing.”
For his part, the Indian Prime Minister, in his speech, welcomed the Saudi Crown Prince on his visit to his country, looking forward to strengthening the partnership between the two countries in various fields.
He said after the meeting: “I had very fruitful talks with the Saudi Crown Prince,” stressing that “the prospects for cooperation with Saudi Arabia are great in the fields of renewable energy and food security.” Modi added: “We are confident that trade ties with Saudi Arabia will grow further.”
During the Saudi-Indian Investment Forum, the Saudi Crown Prince and the Prime Minister of India witnessed the signing of more than 50 joint agreements between the two countries to enhance joint investment in several fields, including energy, petrochemicals, renewable energy, agriculture and industry, in addition to the social and cultural fields.
The Saudi Crown Prince and the Indian Prime Minister after signing the minutes of the Partnership Council between the governments of the two countries (SPA)
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Arindam Bagchi, said on his page on the “X” social media platform: Modi and Prince Mohammed bin Salman held the first meeting of leaders of the Joint Strategic Partnership Council.
In the evening, the Crown Prince and the President of India held a meeting at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi. The Saudi Crown Prince honored the dinner hosted by the Indian President for her country’s distinguished guest.
Strong historical relations
The Kingdom and India have strong historical relations extending for more than 75 years, during which the two countries worked to develop their relations to reach the level of strategic partnership in various political, economic, commercial and clean energy fields.
During the Crown Prince’s visit to India in 2019, the Saudi-Indian Business Council signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry to expand bilateral trade relations.
Saudi Arabia and India are working to expand bilateral relations to include new areas of cooperation, such as networking, financial technology projects, green hydrogen, sustainable building materials, and cooperation between startups and Export-Import Bank projects. The two sides are committed to removing everything that hinders increased bilateral trade and investment, and India is also negotiating with the Gulf Cooperation Council on a free trade agreement.
In the context of the “Kingdom’s Vision 2030” and India’s new education policy 2020, many Saudi universities are keen to establish meaningful cooperation with reputable higher education institutions in India such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), and the Indian Institute of Science. (IISc), in addition to the leading universities in India.
While the Kingdom and India are working on studying a joint project to establish an oil refinery and petrochemical complex on the west coast with an estimated value of $44 billion, which will be the largest environmentally friendly refinery in the world in one stage, and investing $10 billion in the field of technology in India through a fund is also being studied. Public investments and other investment opportunities could be worth $26 billion.
The Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding with India for cooperation in the field of renewable energy, in addition to two memorandums of cooperation between the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) and Indian research centers, which resulted in the holding of three joint seminars, two workshops, and the completion of 24 research related to joint activities.
In the field of information technology, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Kingdom and India to establish an innovation center in Riyadh to promote digital leadership, and one of its most important outcomes is the delivery of 12 innovative projects. In the field of industry, four memorandums of understanding were signed in the field of mining to supply Saudi products to India, such as phosphate. And ammonia.
The Saudi-Indian partnership in the field of defense has made great strides in the past few years, as the fifth meeting of the Joint Committee for Defense Cooperation in New Delhi concluded with increased defense cooperation, training and enhanced trade in the defense sector.
The two countries are looking forward to enhancing cooperation in the fields of joint production, arts, painting and theater festivals, massive Bollywood entertainment programmes, documentary production and tourism promotion. In 2018, India was chosen to be a guest of honor at the Saudi National Festival for Heritage and Culture (Janadriyah).
The ambitious visions of both the Kingdom and India intersect, as India seeks to achieve its Economic Vision 2030, which aims to become the third largest economy in the world by that year, which is the same year in which the Kingdom works to achieve its “Vision 2030” by accessing direct foreign investments to… The global average and doubling non-oil revenues to 50 percent.
The volume of trade exchange between the Kingdom and India in 2022 amounted to $52.4 billion, with the value of the Kingdom’s exports to India amounting to $41.9 billion, of which 8.14 billion are non-oil exports, while the Kingdom imports from India worth $10.5 billion. Metal products, plastics and their products, aluminum and its products, and organic and inorganic chemical products are the most important Saudi goods exported to India, while metal products, cars and their parts, grains, organic chemical products, machinery and mechanical tools and their parts are the most important goods that the Kingdom imports from India.
Islam forms a strong cultural link between the Kingdom and India. Given that India includes the third largest Muslim community in the world, as Muslims constitute approximately 15 percent of India’s population of 1.3 billion people, it is expected to be the first country in the coming years according to global indicators, which is an important element in view of the Kingdom’s leadership role in the world. Islamic.
2023-09-11 16:27:58
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