Defence cooperation between India, Saudi Arabia expanding: Jaishankar

The External Affairs Minister described Saudi Arabia as an important force for stability in the region

The defence partnership between India and Saudi Arabia has witnessed several “firsts” in the past few years, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Wednesday (November 13, 2024), noting that the cooperation had “now expanded in the field of defence industry and exports as well”.

Expressing “deep concern” on the situation in West Asia, particularly the conflict in Gaza, Mr. Jaishankar said India supported an “early ceasefire”.

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Though officially not acknowledged, it has been widely reported in the recent past that Saudi Arabia was the destination for the export order of artillery guns from Bharat Forge as the country had evaluated the performance of the guns.

“Today we also have the opportunity to review regional and international situation. Saudi Arabia, we recognise, is an important force for stability in the region. The situation in West Asia is a matter of deep concern, particularly the conflict in Gaza. India’s position in this regard has been principled and consistent. While we condemn acts of terrorism and hostage taking, we are deeply pained by the continuing death of innocent civilians. Any response must take into account the international humanitarian law. We support an early ceasefire,” Mr. Jaishankar said.

“India has consistently stood for resolution of the Palestinian issue through a two-state solution. We have also contributed to the building of Palestinian institutions and capacities,” he added.

Mr. Jaishankar said this in his opening remarks at the Second Meeting of the Committee on Political, Security, Social and Cultural Cooperation (PSSC) under the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) which he co-chaired with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

In his remarks, the Saudi Foreign Minister highlighted the importance of coordination and collaboration on issues of “mutual interest”, particularly in areas related to international peace, security, and economic development.

“We will continue to align our positions on issues of shared concern especially as they pertain to international peace, security and economic development,” he said.

In recent comments, the Saudi Foreign Minister had said that Israel’s activities in Gaza and the West Bank were “accelerating” the death of the two-state solution for Palestine.

Mr. Jaishankar observed that Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 held complementarities for industries to build new partnerships.

“Today we would have an opportunity to also talk about the G20, the BRICS, the IMEEC and other regional and global issues,” he said.

“It is clear from our discussions we had so far and we expect to continue, that we have a similar interest in preserving the stability of the region and in driving our economies towards greater prosperity,” Mr. Jaishankar added.

On defence cooperation, Mr. Jaishankar said that in the past few years, the two countries held the first ever land forces joint exercise in 2024 and two editions of joint naval exercises. The countries also had regular exchanges on training and capacity building, he stated. “Our security cooperation has also grown steadily. We are collaborating in counter-terrorism, combating extremism, terror financing, and drug trafficking.”

During the meeting, both sides discussed avenues to strengthen the Strategic Partnership between India and Saudi Arabia in areas including trade, investment, energy, defence, security, culture, and consular matters, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. “They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.”

Published - November 13, 2024 06:18 pm IST