Saudi Crown Prince set to begin state visit to India

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will begin a state visit to India on Monday after attending the G-20 Summit in New Delhi over the weekend.

It will mark bin Salman’s second state visit to India following one in February 2019.

He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including ministers and senior officials, according to India’s Foreign Ministry.

Bin Salman, who is also Saudi Arabia’s prime minister, will meet Indian President Droupadi Murmu on Monday before holding bilateral talks with his counterpart Narendra Modi.

The two leaders will co-chair the First Leaders’ Meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council, the ministry said.

It added that the two sides will discuss all aspects of bilateral relations including political, security, defense, trade and economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties.

India and Saudi Arabia have historically close and friendly relations with extensive people-to-people contacts. Trade between the two countries reached an all-time high of $52.75 billion in the 2022-23 fiscal year.

India is Saudi Arabia’s second largest trading partner while Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trading partner. The two countries also have a strong partnership in the area of energy.

There is a vibrant Indian community of around 2.4 million people in Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also facilitates the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage for over 175,000 Indians every year.