PM Modi’s visit imparts new momentum to Indo-Saudi strategic partnership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia on April 22, although curtailed due to the Pahalgam terror attack on the same day, was significant in giving a new direction to Indo-Saudi relations. The growing partnership between the two G20 economies also holds immense strategic significance for regional and global stability. 

The Prime Minister reached Jeddah on Tuesday (April 22, 2025) for a two-day visit at the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, popularly known as MBS, but returned on Wednesday morning, instead of that night, because of the attack.

An assessment of the visit shows that the deepening cooperation in the new and emerging areas between the two countries plays a vital role in transforming bilateral ties into strategic partnership.

India, Saudi Arabia deepen strategic ties

While the conventional aspects of bilateral relations, namely trade, business, investments, energy security, expatriates, Hajj, and people-to-people contacts continue to grow, it is the cooperation in new and emerging areas of climate change, food security, connectivity, defense and security and cultural cooperation that was the highlight of the Prime Minister’s visit. It is the cooperation in these emerging areas that have continued to grow and flourish and have contributed to the evolution of bilateral ties into a multifaceted strategic partnership.

Modi’s visit was also important for it came at a time of immense regional turmoil and global geopolitical uncertainties. As the world continues to suffer from the wars in Ukraine and Gaza while the international economic situation remains uncertain due to the tariff offensive by US President Donald Trump, the role of the two G20 economies – India and Saudi Arabia – acquires greater importance in playing a constructive role toward stabilising the regional and international environment. 

In this regard, the significance of a cooperative and collaborative approach especially in the Southwest Asia region needs emphasising given the importance of the northwestern Indian Ocean region for global maritime trade. Moreover, the region also holds importance for the energy security and climate change debate as some of the biggest producers and consumers of energy are located in the region.

As one analyses the outcomes of the visit, it emerges that beyond the conventional areas of trade, commerce, economic and energy cooperation and political and diplomatic ties, the meeting between Modi and MBS was notable for the growing Indo-Saudi collaboration in three unconventional areas, namely environment and food security, defense and counter-terrorism and cultural cooperation.

Environmental and food security

In recent years, the bilateral ties between the two countries have focused on environmental and food security debates and action plans. Given the mutually interdependent and complementary strengths in energy and food security between the two countries, this has emerged as one of the most important areas of cooperation between the two countries.

Hence, the joint statement issued after the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman noted “the long-standing cooperation between the two countries in the areas of agriculture and food security, including trade of fertilizers.” Further, the two leaders “agreed to pursue long-term agreements for the security of supply, mutual investments and joint projects towards building long-term strategic cooperation” in the field of food security.

The bilateral ties have for long remained centered around energy security. However, in recent years, it has evolved from a transnational relationship to a truly strategic partnership. Given the importance of the need for transition towards sustainable use of energy and environmental security, the two sides have begun to discuss collaboration in the renewable energy field. 

Hence, there have been increasing discussions on collaboration in green hydrogen production and supplies. India and Saudi Arabia have also agreed to collaborate in tapping the potential with respect to solar energy.

Greater cooperation in climate change

Climate change has emerged as one of the important areas of cooperation. In this regard, the two leaders reaffirmed the commitment to greater cooperation in climate change within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. 

This is important given the growing North-South divide on the climate change debate, especially as large fossil fuel producers and consumers like Saudi Arabia and India are increasingly singled out by the world leaders putting an onus on reducing carbon emissions on them. Hence, the cooperation between the two countries at multilateral organisations, especially the Conference of Parties and G20 becomes important.

India and Saudi Arabia, therefore, agreed during the bilateral meeting between Modi and MBS on “the need to develop and implement climate agreements with a focus on emissions rather than sources.” They also appreciated the initiative by both sides for reducing carbon emissions, afforestation and sustainable development. 

For example, the Kingdom has launched the Saudi Green Initiative and Middle East Green Initiative while emphasising the importance of the circular carbon economy adopted by Saudi Arabia to manage emissions and achieve climate change objectives. The Indian initiatives, including “International Solar Alliance, One Sun-One World-One Grid, Coalition of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and Mission Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) and Global Green Credit Initiative,” were also discussed and appreciated.

Defense, security and counter-terrorism

Defense and security have of late emerged as one of the leading fields for bilateral cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia. The most important aspect of this is the growing military-to-military ties, including training and joint exercises, exchange of expertise, and regular high-level meetings, towards sharing ideas and ensuring security and stability in the region. 

Among other areas, the two sides have gradually developed cooperation in the field of maritime security and counter-terrorism and have committed to developing further cooperation in cybersecurity, border security, and combating transnational crime, narcotics and drug trafficking.

Given that the Prime Minister had to cut short his visit by a day due to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, the two sides condemned the attack. The two leaders “agreed that there cannot be any justification for any act of terror for any reason whatsoever.” 

Furthermore, in a veiled reference to Pakistan, Modi and MBS “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.” Additionally, they “rejected any attempt to link terrorism to any particular race, religion or culture” and “welcomed the excellent cooperation between the two sides in counter-terrorism and the terror financing.” 

India and Saudi Arabia also “stressed the need to prevent access to weapons including missiles and drones to commit terrorist acts against other countries.” In this regard, the addition of a Ministerial Committee on Defense Cooperation under the Strategic Partnership Council headed by Modi and MBS is notable and should go a long way in strengthening bilateral security and defense ties.

Cultural ties

Conventionally, the Indo-Saudi cultural ties have been viewed within the confines of Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage and the flow of Indian human resource for participating in the labour force in the Kingdom. This benefits a large number of Indian families in their economic sustenance. Currently, nearly 2.5 million Indians are employed in the Kingdom and have contributed to multiple fields. The Indian community is known for its hard work and in recent times, the business and investments from India have also increased adding another layer to the already robust cooperation in this field.

However, in recent years, the two sides have begun to explore the potential in unconventional areas including tourism, sports, entertainment, and other new and emerging sectors. This is significant given that Saudi Arabia has accelerated its socioeconomic reforms under the Vision 2030 program and has invested heavily in creating the infrastructure and logistics to tap the potential in this area. Hence, music and rock festivals, the Red Sea Film Festival, and mega developmental projects, including NEOM, New Murabba, Mukaab, Al-Ula and Diriyah, have attracted international attention.

During the visit, the two sides noted the growing cultural cooperation and agreed to further enhance collaborations in “sectors such as heritage, film, literature, and performing and visual arts.” In this regard, the formation of a Ministerial Committee on Tourism and Cultural Cooperation, the fourth ministerial committee under the Strategic Partnership Council, was a highlight. India and Saudi Arabia also “agreed to enhance cooperation in tourism including through capacity building and sustainable tourism.”

Expanding horizons

The Indo-Saudi bilateral ties have grown exponentially in recent years and have begun to emphasise on the need for greater cooperation in fields such as connectivity through initiatives such as India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), sustainable development, counter-terrorism cooperation and so on. 

The bilateral trade, energy security, political and diplomatic relations, Hajj and Umrah and the contribution of Indian expatriates are some of the notable areas that have remained at the center of the bilateral relations. However, as the two sides have started to realise the strategic partnership by expanding into new areas including the two-way flow of investments, energy security, logistics and supply chain linkages and connectivity, the bilateral relations have acquired a new momentum. 

The visit of Prime Minister Modi highlighted the growing importance of some of the unconventional areas such as defense and security cooperation, food and environmental security and cultural cooperation in the bilateral ties besides reaffirming the importance of the conventional areas of cooperation and strengthening the strategic partnership between India and Saudi Arabia.

Post Read Questions

How has the Indo-Saudi bilateral relationship evolved beyond conventional areas like trade and energy?

Why is cooperation in new areas such as climate change, food security, and cultural ties becoming increasingly significant in Indo-Saudi relations?

How does cooperation in defense and counter-terrorism reflect a shift in Indo-Saudi strategic partnership?

What is the strategic importance of the Southwest Asia region for global maritime trade and energy security?

How do India and Saudi Arabia, as G20 economies, contribute to regional and international stability amidst conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza?

(The author is Associate Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.)

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