Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman addressed a joint conference pledging to work together to curb terrorism and extremism. PM Narendra Modi and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also issued a joint statement and witnessed the exchange MoUs between the two countries, reported ANI.
Addressing the media after the delegation level talks between the two countries, PM Modi said that Saudi Arabia was one of India’s most valuable strategic partners. He further added that the relations between the two countries have grown stronger and welcomed Saudi Arabia’s investment in Indian infrastructure. PM Modi also welcomed Saudi Arabia to join the International Solar Alliance.
PM Modi in his statement brought up the issue of Pulwama terror attack said that both countries agree that pressure should be put on countries supporting terrorism. In the joint statement, PM Modi gave a strong warning to Pakistan over the Pulwama attack, saying both Saudi Arabia and India had agreed to ramp up pressure on countries that continue to harbour terrorist organisations.
“The cruel attack in Pulwama last week underlines the anti-humanitarian threat the world is facing. To deal with it effectively, we agree that there is a need to put all possible pressure on countries supporting terrorism. It is necessary to destroy the infrastructure of terrorism and end its support system by giving strong punishment to the terrorists and their supporters,” said Prime Minister Modi.
Following PM Modi’s statement at the joint press conference, Mohammed bin Salman said, “Extremism & terrorism are our common concerns. We would like to tell our friend India that we’ll cooperate on all fronts, be it intelligence sharing. We’ll work with everyone to ensure a brighter future for our upcoming generations.”
Prince Salman said that the relationship between India and Saudi Arabia is over thousands of years old. “It is even older than history, and this relationship has grown stronger in the last 50 years. Our objectives are similar be it in energy, agriculture or technology,” added the Prince.
Prince Salman also called for common planning between India and Saudi Arabia to tackle various issues. “PM Modi visited Saudi Arabia in 2016 and we have achieved success in these years. We have invested around $44 billion in India. There are opportunities to invest over $100 billion in India,” said the Saudi Prince.
Five Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in areas of investment, tourism, housing and information and broadcasting were signed between India and Saudi Arabia after talks between PM Modi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Earlier, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman was accorded the Guard of Honour at the Rashtrapati Bhawan where he met President Ramnath Kovind alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “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,” said Prince Salman as reported by ANI.
The Saudi Crown Prince arrived in India on Tuesday a day after his visit to Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday broke protocol to personally receive the Saudi prince and welcomed him with a warm hug at the Palam airport. The Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman is on his first visit to India.
Earlier, India had expressed its reservations to the Saudi authorities over the India visit of the Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman directly from Pakistan in the wake of Pulwama terror attack. According to sources, the Crown Prince Salman’s visit to India, immediately following a stop in Islamabad, will not be acceptable to India.
