NEW DELHI: Indian President Ram Nath Kovind accorded ceremonial welcome to Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Rashtrapati Bhawan (President House) in New Delhi on Wednesday ahead of his scheduled bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Prince Salman arrived at the Indian capital on Tuesday evening on a two-day visit.
At the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Prince Salman said, “Today we want to be sure that this relationship is maintained and improved for the sake of both countries. With the leadership of the President and the Prime Minister, I am sure we can create good things for Saudi Arabia and India.”
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit is expected to focus on deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries and deliver a strong message on terrorism. The crown prince reached the national capital shortly before 9 pm to a red carpet welcome, HindustanTimes reported.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also reached the airport along with other dignitaries to welcome him, embraced him in a bear hug as soon as he walked down the stairs of his plane.
“India is delighted to welcome HRH Mohammed Bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,” PM Modi tweeted soon after.
India is delighted to welcome HRH Mohammed Bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. pic.twitter.com/wBK1F1UZAA
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 19, 2019
The foreign ministry later called the visit – the Crown Prince’s first bilateral visit – a “new chapter” in bilateral relations between the two countries.
The Saudi Prince had wrapped up his high-profile Pakistan visit last evening, the first stop on his South Asia and China tour, where he vowed to “de-escalate” tensions between the two neighbours over the terror attack in South Kashmir’s Pulwama.
The crown prince – widely known as MBS – returned to Saudi Arabia from Pakistan and after spending a few hours back home, took a 3,000 km flight back to the Indian subcontinent.
Over the next 26 hours that the crown prince spends in the national capital, officials have said, the focus would be to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries. The two sides are also expected to seal five pacts related to investment, tourism, housing, and broadcasting.
Ties between the two countries have strengthened since PM Modi’s Riyadh visit in 2016 to sign an agreement on cooperation with intelligence-gathering on money laundering and terrorism financing.
Since then, there has been active intelligence and security cooperation and many instances of terror suspects such as Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Abu Sufyan and Indian Mujahedeen member Zainul Abedin being sent back to India.
The crown prince’s schedule – his quick trip to Riyadh from Islamabad rather than flying from Islamabad to Delhi – was a reflection of the Saudi leadership’s appreciation of India’s sensitivities.
Officials have said Delhi’s relations with Riyadh shouldn’t be compared with those of Islamabad, where investment deals worth $20 billion were signed to help Pakistan’s cash-strapped economy.
“When they invest in India they’re going to invest in a very robust economy. They are not here to bail out India,” said an official, referring to Pakistan receiving Saudi aid to cope with an economic crisis.
from Pakistan Today
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