India, Saudi Arabia discuss defence cooperation, reaffirm commitment to strengthen strategic partnership

Riyadh: India and Saudi Arabia on Thursday discussed defence cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening their strategic partnership.

The discussions came as Indian Ambassador Vipul met Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister of Defence, Khaled bin Hussain Al Biyari.

“Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Mr. Vipul, met H.E. Dr Khaled bin Hussain Al Biyari, Assistant Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh. The two sides discussed India–Saudi Arabia defence cooperation and exchanged views on regional developments, reaffirming their commitment to further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries”, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia wrote in a post on X.

Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh was on an official visit to Saudi Arabia from September 5-8.

During his visit, Singh met Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Mansour Hilal Al Mushaiti and discussed bilateral cooperation in the fields of environment and climate action.

The minister also met Indian workers at the labour camp of the Al Fanar Company and hailed the role of Indian workers in cementing ties between India and Saudi Arabia. He expressed the Indian government’s commitment to the welfare of the Indian diaspora abroad, especially workers.

Singh held a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Climate Envoy Adel al-Jubeir and reviewed the “excellent” state of bilateral ties. They also discussed cooperation on climate action.

MoS Singh also met Saudi Arabia’s Human Resources and Social Development Minister Ahmad bin Sulaiman Alrajhi and discussed strengthening cooperation in the labour and manpower sector.

Singh interacted with a large cross-section of the Indian community in Saudi Arabia and appreciated their role in deepening the bilateral ties across key sectors. He also urged the community to play an active role in advancing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a Viksit Bharat 2047.

He also inaugurated the Integral University Alumni Chapter – Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. He engaged with the Indian businesspersons, entrepreneurs, investors, and professionals and lauded their “invaluable” role in strengthening bilateral economic ties with Saudi Arabia.

IANS