Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in Jeddah on Sunday, as bilateral ties remained a priority. On Saturday, Jaishankar began his first visit to Saudi Arabia as the country’s external affairs minister.
“Honoured to call on HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah this evening,” Jaishankar wrote in a tweet. “Conveyed the warm greetings of PM @narendramodi. Apprised him of the progress in our bilateral relations. Thank him for sharing his vision of our ties,” he added.
According to a foreign ministry statement, India’s ties with Saudi Arabia “have strengthened considerably over the past few years including in political, security, energy, trade, investment, health, food security, cultural and defence fields.”
تشرفت بلقاء صاحب السمو الملكي ولي العهد الأمير محمد بن سلمان في جدة مساء أمس. ونقلت التحيات الحارة من رئيس الوزراء @narendramodi.
أبلغته على التقدم في علاقاتنا الثنائية. وأشكره على مشاركة رؤيته لعلاقاتنا. https://t.co/gX2Om0iODj
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 12, 2022
The statement said, “The top leadership of both countries remained in close touch even during the Covid pandemic.”
During his weekend visit, the foreign minister met with his Saudi equivalent, Faisal bin Farhan, and discussed “political and economic concerns.” During their meeting, the two presidents agreed to “work closely together in G20 and multilateral organisations,” according to the union minister.
Jaishakar also mentioned the country’s efforts during the Vande Bharat Mission in one of his speeches. He said, “We brought back 70 million people under the Vande Bharat Mission from all over the world. No one has done that, it is the biggest evacuation and was done during the Covid-19 pandemic. That is India that the world sees today.” The Vande Bharat Mission was established to ensure the return of Indian nationals trapped in various regions of the world owing to the pandemic in 2020.
References: The Hindustan Times
