India, Saudi Arabia condemn terrorism, hail ties

“They agreed that there cannot be any justification for any act of terror for any reason whatsoever. They rejected any attempt to link terrorism to any particular race, religion or culture,” it said.

“They welcomed the excellent cooperation between the two sides in counter-terrorism and the terror financing. They condemned cross-border terrorism, and called on all States to reject the use of terrorism against other countries, dismantle terrorism infrastructure where it exists, and bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice swiftly. Both sides stressed the need to prevent access to weapons including missiles and drones to commit terrorist acts against other countries,” it said. This followed the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.

On Tuesday, Modi delayed his scheduled meeting with the Saudi crown prince by at least two hours to assess the situation in Kashmir. The PM, who held bilateral talks with the Saudi crown prince, skipped an official dinner before returning home on Tuesday night.

The Muslim World League, based in Makkah, also condemned the terrorist attack.

During the talks, Modi and MBS appreciated the deepening of the defence ties as a key pillar of the strategic partnership and welcomed the creation of a Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation under the Strategic Partnership Council.

“They noted with satisfaction the growth of their joint defence cooperation including numerous ‘firsts; like the first ever Land Forces exercise ‘Sada Tanseeq’, two rounds of the Naval exercises ‘Al Mohed Al Hindi’, many high-level visits, and training exchanges, towards ensuring the security and stability of the region,” the statement said.