Indian Prime Minister Visits Saudi Arabia
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Saudi Arabia to visit King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz on April 2 to discuss the strategic partnership between the two countries, with a special focus on counter-terrorism, energy, and trade. PM Modi received a warm welcome, and signed five bilateral agreements with the Saudis, encompassing the strengthening of maritime security, humanitarian assistance in conflict situations, and facilitation of intelligence exchange related to terrorist operations.The bilateral agreements signal a further step in Saudi Arabia’s commitment to counterterrorism policies. In 2012, Saudi Arabia deported Sayed Zabiuddin, a key suspect in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, to India.The National, an Emirati newspaper, described this as a paradigm shift, as Indian terror suspects living in Pakistan used to easily travel to Saudi Arabia with new names and Pakistani passports.
During his visit, Modi also met with senior officials of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) to discuss energy and investment opportunities. Both India and Saudi Arabia have significant economic interests in the bilateral relations. An estimated six to seven million Indian citizens reside in Saudi Arabia, with India benefitting from an estimated $35 billion in remittances each year. Saudi Arabia is India’s largest oil provider, and bilateral trade between the countries totals $40 billion.
Modi’s visit can also be viewed from the perspectives of Middle East diplomacy and India-Pakistan relations. “The U.S. has backed off from playing a political or strategic role in the region and Europe is completely self-absorbed. Moreover, Asia has transformed into the principal market for East Asian energy. All this builds the mutuality of interest between the two sides and calls for fresh ideas,” reports Talmiz Ahmad, former Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, to Al Arabiya English. Ahmad claims that India appears properly positioned to assume the role of diplomacy and peace in the region. Ahmad echoes the positive sentiment with which crowds greeted the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and chanted, “marhaba rasool al salam [Welcome, prophet of peace].”
Prime Minister Modi sits with King Salman. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
King Salman awarded PM Modi the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit medal, the kingdom’s highest honor. A purely civilian leader of Pakistan has never received the medal. This gesture could symbolize Saudi Arabia shifting its favor from Pakistan to India.
This shift appears bolstered by the fact that just hours before PM Modi’s visit, the United States and Saudi Arabia announced sanctions against four Pakistani individuals and two terrorist entities, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group also implicated in the Mumbai attacks. India has demanded such a response for a long time.
Pakistan’s relations with Saudi Arabia have weakened since Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif refused to provide military troops to assist Saudi Arabia to participate in the conflict in Yemen a year ago. Saudi Arabia expected a quick and easy victory, but has met with a stalemate. Saudi Arabia’s new found preference for India can seem as if Modi plans to take advantage of weakened Saudi-Pakistani relations.
Pakistan’s perspective for decades has held that bonds between Muslim countries will prevent a Hindu India from successful bilateral relations in the Middle East, and most signs verify Pakistan will continue as a key ally to Saudi Arabia. The economic and military ties between the countries represent longstanding and valuable links for both countries. Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir assured that “relations with Pakistan do not come at the expense of relations with India." Saudi Arabia, however, has signaled that Pakistan should not take the alliance for granted.