New Delhi [India], November 13 : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that the Saudi "Vision 2030" and India's "Viksit Bharat 2047" offer complementary opportunities for industrial collaboration, creating new ties between the two nations.
While making his opening remarks at the 2nd meeting of the Political, Security, Social and Cultural Committee of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, at the Hyderabad House in the national capital, the EAM highlighted the long-standing relationship between India and Saudi Arabia, noting the deep economic, social, and cultural ties that have existed for centuries.
He emphasised that, while the two nations share a historic friendship, their partnership is focused on progress and the future.
Speaking on the economic front, Jaishankar noted that trade and investment remain key pillars of the bilateral relationship and highlighted the collaboration in areas such as technology, energy, renewable energy, connectivity, health, and education.
"Our two countries of course enjoy a long-standing friendship reflecting centuries-old economic and social-cultural ties. Under the guidance of our leadership, we have witnessed a deepening of our multifaceted bilateral ties across various domains and while we may be time-tested friends, our partnership is premised on progress and focused on the future. Today, I'm glad to host you and your delegation to the second meeting of the committee on political security and social and cultural cooperation under our Strategic Partnership Council," Jaishankar said.
"Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and Viksit Bharat 2047 hold complementarities for our industries to build new partnerships. I'm glad to note that our businesses are indeed collaborating intensively. Trade and investments are important pillars of our partnership and we are strengthening them in new areas, including technology, energy, renewable energy, connectivity, health and education. We welcome efforts to promote culture, tourism and youth exchanges, and we see considerable potential in the field of media and entertainment," he added.
Pointing at the significant strides made in the defence cooperation between the two nations, Jaishankar noted the first land forces joint exercise in 2024 and two joint naval exercises, as well as expanding exchanges in training, capacity building, and defence industry cooperation.
In the security domain, the EAM mentioned that both nations had increased collaboration in counterterrorism, combating extremism, terrorism financing, and drug trafficking.
"Our defence partnership has witnessed several firsts over the last few years, including the first land forces joint exercise in 2024 and two additions of a joint naval exercise. We've had regular exchanges on training and capacity building, and our cooperation has now expanded to the defence industry and exports as well. Our security cooperation has also grown steadily, and we are collaborating in counterterrorism, combating extremism, terrorism financing and drug trafficking," Jaishankar said.
The EAM also expressed his gratitude to his Saudi counterpart for ensuring the welfare and comfort of the Indian diaspora of 2.6 million.
"We have maintained a good tempo of high-level engagements and coordination across the multilateral forum. The Indian Community in Saudi Arabia is 2.6 million strong and I take the opportunity to thank you for ensuring their welfare and for their comfort," Jaishankar said.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud arrived in India on Tuesday night for his two-day visit and is expected to leave for Saudi Arabia today.