Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9-10 and will stay in India till September 11 for the state visit.
“At the invitation of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will visit India from September 9-11, 2023," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on September 9.
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In February 2019, the Saudi Crown Prince, who is also the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia and holds the post of Prime Minister of the country, visited India on a state visit for the first time, and this will be his second state visit to India. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers and senior officials. This visit follows the highly successful visit of PM Modi to Saudi Arabia in October 2019 during which the two countries established the Strategic Partnership Council.
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On September 11, Mohammed bin Salman will call on President Droupadi Murmu and will hold a bilateral meeting with the prime minister and both leaders will also co-chair the First Leaders’ Meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council, the MEA said.
“They will review the progress made under the two Ministerial Committees of the Strategic Partnership Council i.e. the committee on political, security, social and cultural cooperation and the committee on economy and investments cooperation. They will discuss all aspects of bilateral relations including political, security, defence, trade and economic, cultural and people-to-people ties. Both the leaders will also discuss the regional and international issues of mutual interest," the statement said.
India and Saudi Arabia have historically close and friendly relations with extensive people-to-people contacts. The trade between both countries reached a high of $52.75 billion in FY 2022-23. India is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest trading partner, whereas Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth-largest trading partner. Both countries also have a strong partnership in the area of energy.
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According to the ministry, there is a vibrant Indian community of around 2.4 million in Saudi Arabia. Their contribution towards the development of the host country and role as bridges to deepen the multifaceted ties between the two countries is highly appreciated. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also facilitates Hajj pilgrimage of over 175,000 Indians every year.
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