India &Saudi Arabia sign Four MoUs during PM Modi’s visit

India and Saudi Arabia signed four memorandum of understanding (MoUs) and agreed to expand the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council to include two new committees. This was agreed by the top leadership of both countries during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Saudi Arabia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia on 22 and 23 April 2025.

However, he cut short his visit and returned to India after a terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir on 22 April, which killed 27 tourists.

Here are the main highlights of PM Modi’s visit to Pakistan 

Third Visit to Saudi Arabia 

This was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third visit to Saudi Arabia as the Prime Minister of India. He first visited Saudi Arabia in 2016 and again in 2019.

• In 2016, he was conferred the Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour, the King Abdulaziz Sash. It was the first state honour to be conferred on Prime Minister Modi by a foreign government.
• After 43 years, an Indian Prime Minister visited the Saudi port city of Jeddah. Before PM Modi, Indira Gandhi visited Jeddah in 1982.
• In a special gesture, the Royal Saudi Air Force’s F-15 fighter jet escorted PM Modi’s plane when it entered Jeddah airspace.
• Jeddah is the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia and serves as the gateway to Islam’s holiest shrines, Mecca and Medina. 

Meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

• In Jeddah, Prime Minister Modi met the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.
• Both leaders discussed a range of bilateral issues related to energy partnerships, defence, trade, investments, technology, culture, and people-to-people ties.
• The two leaders in Jeddah co-chaired the second meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council.

India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council

The India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council is the highest-level forum for meetings between the leaders of India and Saudi Arabia. It was set up during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia in 2019.

The first meeting was held in September 2023 during Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to India. 

Both leaders agreed to add two new committees under the Strategic Partnership Council. Now the total number of committees under the Council is four.

The newly created committees are;

• Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation,
• Committee on Tourism and Cultural Cooperation. 

The other existing committees are -

• Committee on Political, Consumer, and Security Cooperation,
• Committee on Economy, Energy, Investment and Technology.

Signing of Four MoUs

Four Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between India and Saudi Arabia in the presence of both leaders. These MoUs are ;

• Cooperation in the field of Space by the space agencies of both countries,
• Cooperation in the field of Health.
• Agreement between NADA and the Saudi anti-doping agency for cooperation in the field of Anti-Doping.
• Cooperation in the Inward Surface Parcel between the postal authorities of the countries.

India-Saudi Arabia Relations 

• Diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in 1947.
• In 2023-24, India was the second-largest trading partner of Saudi Arabia, while Saudi Arabia was the fifth-largest trading partner of India. 
• Saudi Arabia is a significant source of crude oil for India.
• In 2023-24, Saudi Arabia was the third-largest source of crude oil for India,
• Approximately 2.7 crore Indians reside in Saudi Arabia.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 

Ibn Saud founded the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1923. Saudi Arabia is located in West Asia. The country is known for its oil and Islamic heritage.

• Saudi Arabia has the world’s second-largest known oil reserves, after Venezuela.
• The country is the largest exporter of crude oil in the world. 
•  It has two of the holiest shrines of Islam, Mecca and the Medina mosque
• The world's largest mosque, Al-Haram, also known as the Forbidden Mosque, is located in Mecca.
• The world's second-largest mosque, the Mosque of the Prophet, also known as Masjid al-Nabawi, is located in Medina. 
• The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) headquarters is also in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• The world’s largest sand area, the Rub al-Khali (“Empty Quarter”), which spans approximately 647,500 square kilometres, is also located in Saudi Arabia.

Capital of Saudi Arabia: Riyadh 

Currency: Saudi Riyal 

King of Saudi Arabia: King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud 

Crown Prince and Prime Minister: Mohammed bin Salman