PM Modi holds talks with Saudi Crown Prince, both condemn Pahalgam terror attack

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir as they cochaired the Strategic Partnership Council aimed at further strengthening the friendship between the two countries The two sides created two new ministerial committees including one on defence and agreed to collaborate on establishing two refineries in IndiaModi who arrived in Jeddah on Tuesday on a twoday visit delayed his scheduled meeting with the Crown Prince by at least two hours to assess the situation in Kashmir where terrorists killed 26 people mostly tourists Modi who held bilateral talks with the Saudi Crown Prince skipped an official dinner hosted and decided to cut short his visit and return home on Tuesday night sources said He was originally scheduled to return to India on Wednesday nightEarlier Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Al Salam Palace Palace of Peace where he was received by Crown Prince Mohammed The two leaders hugged as they greeted each other according to the photographs shared by the staterun Saudi Press Agency It was followed by detailed bilateral discussions and the meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council which was established during the prime ministers 2019 visit to strengthen bilateral tiesIndian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Suhel Ajaz Khan said the meeting began with a reference to the unfortunate terror attack that has happened in India Both leaders expressed their condemnation for the terror attack The Crown Prince conveyed his condolences and sympathies and offered any help in this regard to us the envoy said India and Saudi Arabia have cooperation in issues related to terrorism and they continue to work together he addedThe Council reviewed the work of the various committees subcommittees and working groups under the SPC which encompass political defence security trade investment energy technology agriculture culture and peopletopeople ties according to an official statement To reflect the deepening of defence partnership over the past few years iquest including joint exercises training programmes and collaboration in the defence industry the two sides decided to create a new ministerial committee on defence cooperation it saidThe two sides decided to create a new ministerial committee on tourism and cultural cooperation to strengthen cultural and peopletopeople ties which has had significant momentum in recent years The two sides also signed four memoranda of understanding MoUs in the fields of space antidoping education health and communications Both sides also agreed to collaborate on establishing two refineries in IndiaBuilding on the commitment of Saudi Arabia to invest USD 100 billion in India in multiple areas including energy petrochemicals infrastructure technology fintech digital infrastructure telecommunications pharmaceuticals manufacturing and health the joint HighLevel Task Force on Investment came to an understanding in multiple areas to rapidly promote such investment flows the statement saidIt said that the progress made by HLTF in areas such as taxation is a major breakthrough for greater investment cooperation in the future This was the prime ministers third visit to the Gulf Kingdom and the first one to the historic city of Jeddah This visit will strengthen the friendship between India and Saudi Arabia Modi earlier posted on X in English and ArabicAs a special gesture the prime ministers aircraft was escorted by F15s of the Royal Saudi Air Force in Saudi airspace The gesture was seen as a deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries Giving further momentum to our longstanding and historic ties PM narendramodi lands in the historic port city of Jeddah to a 21gun salute amp ceremonial welcome Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on XThe prime minister who received Saudi Arabias highest civilian honour in 2016 has described the crown prince as my brother Saudi Arabia is home to 27 million Indians who live and work in the Gulf Kingdom In an interview with Arab News ahead of his visit Modi described Saudi Arabia as one of Indias most valued partners a maritime neighbour a trusted friend and a strategic allyWe consider Saudi Arabia a force of positivity and stability in the region As maritime neighbours India and Saudi Arabia share a natural interest in safeguarding peace and stability in the region he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params