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Transcript of Special Briefing by MEA on Prime Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia (April 19, 2025)

India - Ministry of External Affairs

April 19, 2025

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good afternoon, friends. I welcome you to this special briefing on Prime Minister's upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia. We have with us Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri for this special briefing. We are also joined by Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, who looks after Gulf countries, Shri Aseem Mahajan. With that, I invite Foreign Secretary sir to make his remarks. Sir the floor is yours.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Thank you, Randhir. Thank you all for being here in such good numbers on a Saturday afternoon again.

As you are already aware, the Honorable Prime Minister will be paying a visit to Saudi Arabia next week on 22nd and 23rd April 2025. This is a visit at the invitation of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. You would also recall that this visit follows the visit by His Royal Highness to India in September 2023 on the occasion of the G20 Summit.

And that was also the occasion when the first ever meeting of the newly established Strategic Partnership Council between the two countries was held. The upcoming visit will be Prime Minister's third visit in this capacity to Saudi Arabia. He has visited earlier in 2016 and 2019.

In 2016, during his first visit, the Prime Minister was conferred the Kingdom's highest civilian honor, the "King Abdulaziz Sash". And in October 2019, he paid his second visit, which followed the first visit of the Crown Prince himself to India, earlier that year in February 2019.

During Prime Minister's second visit, the two countries signed the agreement on establishing the Strategic Partnership Council, which is a high-level council at the summit level to steer relations between the two countries.

The Strategic Partnership Council has two subcommittees, the Committee on Political, Security, Social and Cultural Relations, and the Committee on Economic and Investment-related issues, which also deals with trade and technology. Both the committees have a number of subcommittees and Joint Working Groups under them, and they have been having and holding their meetings over the past several months. And the upcoming visit will be an opportunity to hold the second summit-level meeting of this Strategic Partnership Council.

The visit is important also on account of the obvious significance of Saudi Arabia as a strategic partner for India. You are aware of the salience that this relationship has for India's energy security. Saudi Arabia hosts a very large Indian expatriate community, possibly the second largest expatriate community of its kind anywhere in the world.

Saudi Arabia is a leading voice in the Islamic world, and is increasingly playing an important role in regional developments. And therefore, from all of these perspectives, the visit provides an opportunity to build on the already strong relations with this strategic partner.

You are also aware that the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince share a very close personal relationship with a lot of warmth and respect for each other. And the bilateral relationship has gained a lot from strategic guidance at the topmost level.

And there has been significant momentum also in this relationship in recent years. And in this context, two areas that I would like to underline are defense and economic ties between the two countries.

The defense partnership has witnessed several firsts in the past few years. We had the first ever joint land forces exercise between the two countries in 2024. I think it is called the SADA TANSEEQ one. Two editions have been held of joint naval exercises. We have had regular exchanges on training and capacity building. And staff talks are taking place across all the three services. Our cooperation has also expanded on the defense industry front. And India is gaining space as an important supplier of defense stores to Saudi Arabia. And a special agreement on the export of munitions to the kingdom worth about $225 million was signed last year.

The economic partnership also continues to grow. The value of total trade between the two countries in 2023-2024 was nearly $43 billion. Saudi Arabia is India's fifth largest trading partner overall. And India is the kingdom's second largest trading partner overall. I gave you the figures for 2023-2024, which comprised India's imports from Saudi Arabia at nearly $31.42 billion and exports to Saudi Arabia of about $11.56 billion.

Apart from trade, investment also continues to do well. And there are investments across different sectors such as energy, steel, chemicals, food sector, telecommunications, and start-ups. Saudi Arabia, as you are aware, is undertaking a number of mega infrastructure construction projects. And many of those have opportunities for Indian companies, not only from the investment perspective, but also participating in them from the project execution perspective. And in this way, Indian companies are actually playing an important role in realizing the Saudi Vision 2030 objective that the kingdom has set for itself.

I spoke earlier about the salience of Saudi Arabia as a key player in our energy scenario. The value of the energy trade in 2023-2024 was $25.7 billion. The kingdom remains India's third largest crude and petroleum sourcing destination. These are the figures for 2023-2024. And in that year, they accounted for 14.3% of India's total crude oil imports. That year, Saudi Arabia was also the third largest source of LPG for India, accounting for almost 18% of the total LPG imports of India. And we are looking at infusing an even more strategic outlook in the energy partnership between the two countries. And we expect that the forthcoming visit will have some developments related to this as well.

Just a few words with regard to the elements of the program. The Prime Minister's engagements will include ... incidentally, the visit will be hosted by Saudi Arabia in the city of Jeddah. The Prime Minister's engagements will include a one-on-one meeting with His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, as well as formal engagements that include a ceremonial welcome and bilateral talks.

As I said, the two leaders will co-chair the second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council. I have spoken about the two key pillars, the political and economic pillars, which are led at the ministerial level between the two sides. The visit is also likely to see the conclusion of several MOUs between the two sides. Some of these are in the final stage of approvals and brushing up, and we will have more details to release about these during the course of the visit.

I also mentioned in my earlier remarks the importance of the people-to-people relationship between the two countries. As I said, nearly 2.7 million Indians live and work in the Kingdom. The Indian community comprises the second largest group of Indians living abroad and it is a matter of great satisfaction that the Indian community in Saudi Arabia is very well regarded for its significant contribution to the national life, and economic development of the Kingdom. And during the visit, the Prime Minister will visit a factory employing Indian workers and will interact with them as well.

On the same subject, in terms of people-to-people relations, yoga has been very well received in the Kingdom, and the ongoing cooperation between the two countries in the field of media, entertainment and sports has great and significant potential.

Saudi Arabia obviously plays a very important role in facilitating the visit of thousands of Indian citizens for the annual pilgrimages for Hajj and Umrah, and we have been coordinating closely this year as well with Saudi authorities, and we thank the Saudi leadership for the continued assistance that they have provided to Indian pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia for these purposes.

So, from all these perspectives, it is clear that the relationship between the two countries spans a wide spectrum and in addition to the traditional areas, there is a growing interest and keenness to get into new areas. I mentioned Defense as a relatively new area including defense industrial procurement but also things such as renewable energy investments, healthcare services, tourism and entertainment.

You would recall that on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in September 2023, Saudi Arabia was amongst the other partners that joined India in the conclusion of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor Agreement and as partners under this agreement, both countries are actively exploring opportunities in regional connectivity, logistics, clean energy, electricity and data cooperation. The visit, therefore, provides the opportunity to leadership in both countries to engage on all of these strategic areas to deepen our partnership, and most importantly of course to share their perspectives, at a time when the regional and global economic and security situation is in a certain amount of flux. So, the visit is coming at a very opportune time as well.

Let me stop there. I will be happy to take a few questions.

Rishabh Madhavendra Pratap, Times Now: Sir, Good Evening, Rishabh from Times Now. Sir, since Prime Minister is traveling to Saudi Arabia, in the region, Houthis have been a cause of concern for the free movement and India has also been operating in Gulf of Aden and other such parts. Will there be discussion on Houthis as well, given that Saudi Arabia also have stakes in the region? A and B, on West Asian situation, what else can be expected on the table, whether the Palestine - Gaza issue will also be discussed and further more regional issues will be discussed?

Ayushi Agarwal, ANI: Sir, this is Ayushi Agarwal from ANI. You mentioned about the IMEC corridor, so will there be any discussion on the progress when it comes to the connectivity corridor. And second, since Saudi played an important role when it comes to mediation of Russia-Ukraine war, will the Prime Minister be briefed about the negotiation that has held in Riyadh so far?

Hassanul Banna, Madhyamam Daily: Sir, this is Banna from Madhyamam Daily. You have mentioned a Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage. There was an urgent request from Combined Hajj Group Organizers of India for an intervention of PM to resolve issues affecting more than 52,507 Indian Hajj pilgrims who had booked their pilgrimage through private operators. So, as per the latest circular by Ministry of Minority Affairs, only 20% of the private quota is being confirmed, leaving nearly 80% of the registered pilgrims uncertain about their journey. Will the Prime Minister discuss the matter with Saudi? Is there any update on this issue?

Sridhar Kumaraswami, The Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle: Sir, Sridhar from the The Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle. My question was much the same, but I just wanted to ask, is there a real chance that the Saudis may actually increase the ... because out of 52,000, I think they have given 10,000 slots. So is there a real ... because your statement also, the Minority Affairs Ministry mentioned that it would be appreciated if the Saudis would further increase. So, will the PM actually intervene, and is there a real chance that the Saudis may increase it further? Thank you.

Siddhant Mishra, CNN-News18: Hello, Foreign Secretary, I am Sidhant from CNN-News18. Sir, my question is regarding A, the way Riyadh is facilitating talks between the two sides, as far as what in Europe is concerned. There is something that India has been seeing from a very beginning, solutions through dialogue and diplomacy, and now finally that is taking place in Riyadh. So, whether PM, sir, will share his perspective on the war and there would be a discussion on it, point number one.

Sir, point number two, sir, IMEC was launched at the time of G20 and we have done enough with the UAE as far as IMEC is concerned. Prime Minister was in France. In fact, he held talks with President Macron also, and some of the countries have also appointed their special envoy for the project. But, from the Saudi side, sir, there has been a very less development ... kind of messaging, signaling as far as this project is concerned. So, do you see this as an opportunity, so that Indian side can push so that IMEC Saudi part can come up as early as possible? Thank you.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: So, to Rishabh's first question related to Houthis. Now obviously, as I said in my opening remarks, this is a very important opportunity to compare notes on several issues of mutual concern related to the regional situation, as well as the global developments. And what you have referred to, the attacks by the Houthis with regard to shipping and navigation, etc., is obviously something that India has been closely monitoring as well. And we are obviously also watching with some concern the developments in the region including most recently.

We have obviously great concerns about freedom of navigation, the safety and security of our vessels and our seafarers on board those vessels in the region. As you mentioned, the Indian Navy has mounted a significant effort in that area, and already taken a number of measures to ensure the safety of merchant ships and seafarers. We have conducted several anti-piracy operations and several search and rescue and relief operations as well, responding to a number of distress calls that have been received from platforms that have come under attack in the region. So, I think given the stakes that both sides have in this particular area, not just from the economic and commercial perspective but also from the political and strategic perspective, I would imagine that this is going to be a significant area of discussion between the two sides. I wont prejudge exactly what the contours will be, and what the outcome will be but I think this is definitely going to be an important area of discussion.

Likewise for discussions on the situation on West Asia, the current state of affairs between Israel and Palestine, and obviously on that front also we have seen developments of some concern. Saudi Arabia plays a very important role in addressing this issue. India has remained involved with all the principal actors in this issue. We have met with and discussed with leadership both from Palestine as well as Israel, as also regional leaders, whether it be from Jordan, Egypt, and indeed Saudi Arabia as well.

And given the multiple initiatives that are underway in the region right now, whether it is trying to settle the situation with regard to the release of hostages, or about the facilitation of humanitarian assistance, or a ceasefire, in some ways these are interlinked issues. We have engaged on all of them, and this would be a very important opportunity to engage with a very, very important actor on these issues. So again, I think this is going to make for a very interesting, and rich discussion between the two sides, between the two leaders.

On Ayushi's question of progress with regard to IMEC. I think some others have also asked about IMEC. Look, after the signing of the framework understanding on IMEC in September 2023, all the partners had an urgent regional situation to address, which meant that the kind of groundwork that was foreseen between all the partners could not begin immediately. That, however, does not mean that individual countries or groups of countries that are part of the original agreement have not discussed or engaged on what the contours of this agreement are going to look like, and what kind of work will be required to effect progress under this agreement.

Much of the work, for instance, related to infrastructure linkages, some of the missing infrastructure linkages, as it were in the IMEC corridors, is work that makes sense for many of those countries to undertake whether those links become part of IMEC eventually or not. They have a national relevance and a national salience as well. Wherever India can engage bilaterally, it has already done so, it continues to do so. And even with Saudi Arabia, I would say that we have engaged within the IMEC framework.

For instance, barely a month after the signing of the framework agreement, we signed the Memorandum of Understanding in the field of electrical interconnections, and green and clean hydrogen and supply chains. The electricity grid interconnection MOU is something on which work is expected to start imminently in terms of a study to lay out the feasibility of this connection. But as it proceeds, I would say that this would become one of the major pillars of the IMEC initiative. Similarly, we see the possible agreements between the two countries on clean hydrogen as another very important trade-linked initiative under this.

So, I know that the political and security situation in the region makes it seem as if progress on IMEC has frozen, but actually we have been working with select partners and as I think Siddhant referred to, the fact that a number of countries have appointed special envoys as well. We have engaged with several of those envoys and exchanged views on what will need to be done. There is a lot of groundwork that needs to be done. We do not need to necessarily wait for the security situation to completely settle down for work to start on IMEC.

And you will see, as I imagine in the fairly near future, engagement on IMEC across all of the partners, original as well as prospective partners, will at some point fructify on the ground. But there is work that has already been going on, and I am sure during this meeting as well there will be references to what more can be done to take forward work on IMEC.

In so far as the other question on the role that the Kingdom is playing on facilitating contacts between Russia and Ukraine, and the United States with regard to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine Again, obviously, I think some other friends have also raised this question, but it is going to be a significant area of discussion.

It is indeed a fact that we had also ... the Prime Minister had articulated India's position about the need for dialogue to address and resolve this issue for people to sit around a table, and for the principal protagonists to sit around the table and find solutions to this. And we are glad to see some of that happening, and it is good that a partner such as Saudi Arabia is involved in this exercise. Again, I cannot prejudge what the nature of the discussions will be, but this is going to be a significant subject of discussions between the two leaders as well.

So, your question on the Combined Hajj Group Operators. You are aware that over the last decade, Government has actually accorded very high priority to consistently raise India's quota, annual quota, for pilgrims to be able to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. And it is as a result of these sustained efforts pursued over nearly a decade that India's Hajj quota has risen from 136,020 in 2014 to 175,025 in 2025.

Now, you are familiar, I imagine, with the manner in which this quota is handled and administered. And for those colleagues who may not be aware of the minutiae in this regard, out of this total quota of ~ 175,000, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, which works through the Hajj Committee of India, is responsible for managing arrangements for 122,518 pilgrims in the current year under the main quota. And as the Ministry of Minority Affairs has already shared, for this part of the quota that is their responsibility, all the necessary preparations including the finalization of the flight schedules, transportation, accommodation, etc., have been taken up and completed as per Saudi guidelines.

The remaining quota of roughly 52,000 is allotted for administration and management, as is customary practice over a long period of time, to private tour operators. Now the process of administration of the Hajj is eventually something that is within the domain of the authorities of Saudi Arabia. And in keeping with their updated directions, the Ministry of Minority Affairs this year consolidated a very large number of private operators, more than 800, into 26 combined Hajj group operators and allocated a quota to them well in advance.

It is a different matter that many of these, or probably most of these operators, were unable to comply with the timelines that had been set by the Saudi authorities, and they failed to finalize the required contracts that were needed for accommodation, especially in Mina and the transportation arrangements on the ground. I think the operators were eventually faced with a situation where they had not completed the necessary formalities, and the deadlines could not be extended any further. In fact, the deadlines have not been extended for any country this year.

We have engaged with Saudi authorities at multiple levels. The Saudi authorities have told us that they are very concerned about the safety of the pilgrims and their well-being, especially in Mina. You are aware that the Hajj sometimes takes place, as it will this year, in very hot conditions. Space is always at a premium. You are also aware of the very unfortunate accident that took place last year that resulted in the loss of a large number of lives. So, the concern that we have seen on the part of Saudi authorities is well placed.

But nevertheless, the Government continued to persist and raise with the Saudi authorities the issue of allowing or enabling the private tour operators to be able to use the quota, or part of the quota that was allotted to them. As a result of this intervention, there has been an in-principle agreement, whereby the Saudi Hajj Ministry has agreed to facilitate the registration of an additional 10,000 pilgrims based on current availability in Mina.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs has been in touch with the Combined Hajj Group Operators to essentially get them ready to avail of this opportunity, and we look forward to the facilitation of this in the very, very near future.

We obviously appreciate this gesture from the Saudi authorities. We remain in touch with them for any further measures that they could take to accommodate more pilgrims. The facilitation of the Hajj is a very important issue bilaterally between India and Saudi Arabia, and it is only to be expected that this issue will figure in the discussions during the upcoming visit.

I think I have already addressed Siddhant's questions related to IMEC and discussions on Russia, Ukraine, etc.

Kallol Bhattacherjee, The Hindu: Kallol Bhattacherjee from The Hindu, Sir. My question is that ... you have mentioned that the security situation did not fully come down for IMEC to go ahead. So, the question is ... is India going to keep aside the two-state solution before going ahead with IMEC?

Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Bloomberg: Thank you, Foreign Secretary, for doing this. This is Sudhi Ranjan from Bloomberg. Sir, just wanted an understanding when you say infuse most rigid dimension to the energy relationship, India has reduced in fact half its pickup of crude oil in comparison to 2019. Is there a promise or assurance that we are giving to Saudi Arabia to pick up more crude? Any understanding that you could give us on the promise of Saudi Arabia to invest $100 billion, including a refinery, where does that stand?

And finally Sir, do you expect the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince to discuss the controversy in India about Waqf Board and the changes in the law?

Huma Siddiqui, StratNews Global: Sir, I am Huma Siddiqui, from StratNews Global. I have two questions. You talked about defense and economy... in the agenda. So, will the India GCC-FTA be a part of those talks? And if the defense... there has been an initiative from the Saudi side to participate in jointly manufacturing defense platforms. Will that be discussed?

Sidhant Sibal, WION: Sir, Sidhant from WION. Sir, on the diaspora aspect, how much there will be a conversation given the fact that the largest number of Indians who are in jail anywhere in the world is in Saudi Arabia? That's the first question.

My second question is, Saudi Arabia is a leading voice, not just in the Islamic world, but also in the Organization of Islamic Co-Operation. Now that grouping has seen Pakistan misusing that grouping a lot. So how much India will sensitize the Saudi side that Pakistan should not misuse it for anti-India purposes?

Keshav Padmanabhan, The Print: Thank you, sir. Keshav Padmanabhan from The Print. Two questions. On defense, I know you've signed this deal for $225 million of exported munitions. Are we going to look at more such exports? Is that going to be discussed as a part of the larger strategic relationship?

And secondly, BRICS had invited Saudi Arabia to join as a member. This is still a pending issue. Is this going to be discussed or will this come up between the discussions between Crown Prince Salman and Prime Minister Modi?

And would we see some movement with regards to BRICS during this meeting? Thank you.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: So, with regard to Kallol's question on IMEC and security situation in West Asia, two-state solution. Frankly speaking, I don't necessarily see any organic linkage between these two issues. India's position on the two-state solution is a well-held, long-held position. And I don't think there's any need to restate or add anything at this stage to this particular issue. IMEC, as I said, is something where work can proceed in parallel. The security situation impacts only certain areas at a particular point in time. And it is possible to do work on this particular project in a distributed fashion. So, I don't see a direct sort of linkage between these two issues.

To Sudhi's question ... multi-part question on ... I think, your, the first three parts of your question on the nature of the strategic dimension of our energy partnership. What are the prospects for picking up more crude from Saudi Arabia and prospective investments, including in a refinery by Saudi Arabia? They're all linked in one way or the other.

Insofar as picking more crude is concerned, you are well aware that India buys crude on the open market. We are ... companies that are involved in the commerce of crude are essentially looking at prices, availability, and security, and ease of supply. So that will continue to be guiding principles. But obviously, with countries such as Saudi Arabia, that has been a reliable partner for a very long period of time, we will always look to strengthening our relationship with them. So, on all of these issues that you have mentioned, I would say, watch this space. These are all issues that are under close discussion between the two countries. And we are hoping to see developments in these areas.

The last part of your question on Waqf, etc., issues, I haven't seen anything officially from Saudi Arabia or any official organ there with regard to this issue. I am not sure why this would be brought up.

Huma's question on the GCC-FTA. Yes, you are right, we have been having discussions with the GCC for an FTA. This is obviously a very important region insofar as bilateral trade is concerned. Overall trade with the GCC countries was nearly $160 billion in 2023-2024 area.

This region has some of our largest energy suppliers, and again features ... most of the members of the GCC host large Indian diaspora communities and Indian business entities. And therefore, an FTA with the GCC would obviously unlock tremendous economic potential in the partnership. We are keen to make progress. Obviously, that progress is a sum total of the kinds of relationships we have with individual countries in the GCC region. Saudi Arabia being one of the most important among the leading members of the GCC. So, we do hope that ... and I think it may very well be discussed during this visit as well as to what are the prospects that we see for an India-GCC-FTA. Recently, I think, probably just about a week ago, the chief negotiators of India and the GCC have had a productive meeting on the FTA. So, we look to taking that forward.

You also had a connected question which Keshav also asked about defense ... between defense relations. Now, I mentioned about this major initiative or the major deal in terms of India emerging as a supplier of defense goods to Saudi Arabia. But what is really important on the defense front is the growing and close institutional linkage or the institutional underpinnings that are being put in place in the relationship between the two countries.

More exchanges including by exchanging slots in each other's institutions of higher defense learning, more training opportunities, more exercises, and more high-level engagements including by way of visits of the chiefs of the respective services to each other's countries. It is this institutionalization that is really going to lend greater solidity to this particular aspect of the relationship. I think, in December 2023, Saudi Arabia was elected to hold the presidency of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium for a two-year term from 2027 to 2029. That also shows Saudi Arabia's greater involvement with defense structures and strategic structures in this part of the world. So, we are looking at taking this forward.

Sidhant, your question on the diaspora in the kingdom. Yes, we do have a large number of Indian nationals detained in prisons in Saudi Arabia, and our Mission and our Consulate in Saudi Arabia regularly take up the matters of Indian nationals who find themselves in these situations, work with the law enforcement agencies and authorities as well as the government of Saudi Arabia in addressing these issues. We have signed bilateral agreements addressing different aspects of the detainee issue. We have signed an agreement quite some time back on transfer of sentenced prisoners between India and Saudi Arabia. We have not yet had any transfers take place under that agreement, but we continue to pursue that. There is a mutual legal assistance treaty also on criminal matters which is under negotiation between the two countries.

So, this is an important area of discussion between us, and it is allotted the highest priority in discussions at every level between the two countries. I am sure this will be high on the agenda during the forthcoming visit as well.

Your other question on Pakistan's misuse of the OIC. It is a habit of long standing, one that we have regularly spoken out against, and also raised with our friends and partners in the OIC. There is a certain view about these shenanigans that Pakistan practices in the OIC, on the part of our colleagues and friends amongst the other members of the OIC. But we will continue to share our views, and bring to their attention what exactly we think of these attempts that Pakistan habitually makes.

Keshav's question on BRICS during the meeting. I cannot say really whether it will come up in any substantive manner. As you are aware, Saudi Arabia was offered membership. It has not attended at all the levels, and in all the forums that BRICS has. We continue to remain engaged with Saudi Arabia to try and gauge and understand their approach to the organization, and I think we will wait for further developments and for Saudi authorities to share with us how exactly they see their evolving role in this organization.

Ayanangsha Maitra, COGGS: Thank you dear sir. Excellency, this is Ayanangsha Maitra. Prime Minister is slated to visit in a fast-reforming country, where there are erupting mega-projects. You mentioned two words, mega-project and entertainment as well as media. In the realm of that, the NEOM project is about 8.8 trillion project. Will India be engaged anyway? Will it accommodate its employees, upskills or AI scientists there?

And also, if you could kindly answer, what sort of discussion will be there, post USAID, with the philanthropic agencies, as well as with the entertainment catering industries from India?

Akhilesh Suman, DD News: Sir DD News se main Akhilesh Suman. Sir jaisa ki aapne bataya ki second-largest diaspora hain Saudi Arab. Aur wahan bharat ke kafi shramik kaam karte hain. Toh kya Pradhan Mantri ji wahan Crown Prince ke sath jo Bhartiya shramikon ki wahan sthithi hain uske baare mei bhi koi baat karenge?

[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi] Sir, I am Akhilesh Suman from DD News. As you mentioned that the second-largest Indian diaspora is in Saudi Arabia and a large number of Indian workers are employed there. Will the Prime Minister also discuss the situation of these Indian workers during his meeting with the Crown Prince?

Manash Pratim Bhuyan, PTI: Foreign Secretary, this is Manash from PTI, Press Trust of India. This is again relating to Saudi Arabia's announcement in 2019 during Crown Prince's visit to invest USD 100 billion in India in strategic sectors including energy sector. So, what is the status? And there is a plan also, in fact, a decision to set up a Joint Working Group to channelize the planned investments in various sectors in India. Has the JWG formed, and if yes, what are the recommendations? How is it actually looking at the planned investments by Saudi Arabia? Please just throw some light on that.

Wael Awad, Arab Media: Thank you. Wael Awad from Arab Media. Actually, my question is regarding the defense relation between India and Saudi Arabia in terms of the regional security arrangement in the region. Would it be more of an Indian presence in the region there, if warships and all? And if you can highlight, the Indian ... will be talking also with the Crown Prince in regards to the ongoing talk between India and United States, because the defense minister of Saudi Arabia was recently in Tehran. It is of prime importance to see that there is a tranquility and peace in the region. Thank you.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Okay. So, on the developments that are taking place in Saudi Arabia in a number of fields, and you referred to NEOM which is one of the so-called Giga projects that is being pursued by the Kingdom. So, I would say that there is definitely potential for engagement. In fact, there is already engagement taking place on that project and on several other similar projects in the country.

Indian companies are already present across diverse sectors in Saudi Arabia such as engineering, procurement and construction, contracting, oil and gas, telecommunications, IT, technology services, financial services, pharmaceuticals, etc. And a number of our large companies such as L&T, Tata's construction companies such as Shapoorji Pallonji and others have already established a presence, and are already involved in several of these projects in one way or the other. So, I think that aspect is well and truly underway already.

And, on the entertainment front as well, you are right, Saudi Arabia is paying attention to this particular issue. And as you would be aware, we have a major event that we will be hosting, the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit in India in Mumbai early next month. And we have been in discussions with Saudi Arabia as well. And I fully expect that we will host a high-level official delegation from Saudi Arabia for this summit, which will help to build bridges in the media and entertainment industries between our two countries. It will not just enable and facilitate more access to content from each other's countries but also open the doors for joint production projects and initiatives between the two countries.

Suman, aapka jo sawal hain ye diaspora aur bhartiya shramik jo hain Saudi Arabia mei, kya unke baare mei batchit hogi. Maine pahle hi jaise kaha ki ye ek bahot hi mahatvapurna vishay hain aur donon deshon ke beech mei kai levels pe is vishay pe batchit chalti rehti hain. Aur chahe summit level ho ya mantri level ho ya officer level ke star pe ho, ye ek aisa vishay hain jinpe rojana hi baat hoti hain, aur mujhe vishwas hain jaisa maine kaha abki baari Pradhan Mantri jab jayenge toh woh ek factory project pe jayenege jahan pe bhartiya karmik, karigar wahan pe hain, unse milenge, unse batchit karenge, unke haal ke baare mei puchenge. Toh ye toh ek mujhe aisa pratit hota hain ki ye vishay ab ki baari jo yatra hone wali hain usmei bhi ye vishay uthaya jayega.

[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi] Suman, your question regarding the diaspora and Indian workers in Saudi Arabia — whether this issue will be discussed. As I mentioned earlier, this is a very important topic. It is something that is regularly discussed at various levels between the two countries, whether at the summit level, ministerial level, or official level. This is an issue that is talked about on a daily basis. And I believe, as I mentioned, this time when the Prime Minister visits, he will be going to a factory project where Indian workers and craftsmen are employed. He will meet them, interact with them, and inquire about their well-being. So, I believe this topic will indeed be taken up during the upcoming visit.

Manash on your question ... I addressed this earlier. There is the prospect of significant investment from Saudi Arabia. There are a few procedural issues that Saudi Arabia had raised with regard to the environment in which the Saudi businesses and principally, insofar as this kind of investment is concerned, Saudi sovereign wealth funds, for instance, would invest in India. There are certain issues that they had raised, and we have worked very constructively on those issues.

The Joint Working Group that you referred to, I think what you are referring to is the High-Level Task Force on Investment. The HLTFI was set up in October 2023, and it had its first meeting last year. Since then, it has had several meetings, both physically as well as virtually. It is led, as you are aware, by the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister on the Indian side, and the Energy Minister of Saudi Arabia on the other side. And then there is an executive level also where it is led by the CEO of NITI Aayog on the Indian side, and a counterpart on the Saudi side. They have had a number of meetings.

As I said, in the course of these meetings, several issues have been raised with regard to the overall ecosystem and the environment in which the investment is to take place. We have approached these issues with a very open mind, and we have assured our Saudi friends about addressing their concerns, about giving them the kind of treatment, or their investments the kind of treatment that we give to other valued partners in the region in this particular aspect. And some of these discussions are continuing. As I said, therefore, watch this space. We should see some developments in this area take place as well.

And finally, to this question on what the defense cooperation holds, I mentioned that we are attempting to give more substance to the partnership. The opening of defense procurement is one major area, but the setting up of an architecture on the basis of which the two countries engage with each other, at leadership level and at the professional operational level is going to be an area of attention in the months and years ahead.

There will be, of course, exchanges without necessarily there being a regional presence, if I got you right. There will be continuing exchanges in terms of ... between the services of the two countries, all of which have dedicated staff talks that they pursue. So, we will see a number of, I think, important developments in this field in the coming years.

And insofar as discussions between other regional partners and Saudi Arabia are concerned and discussions between India and some of its other strategic partners are concerned, I am sure that the upcoming visit will give the opportunity to the leaders to exchange perspectives on these issues and see where we are headed on this particular front. Thank you.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: With that, ladies and gentlemen we come to the close of this press briefing. Thank you very much for your presence.

New Delhi
April 19, 2025