New chapter of India-Saudi Arabia friendship…PM Modi will reach Jeddah today, will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reach Saudi Arabia on a two-day visit from today. He will stay there till April 23. PM Modi has been invited to this visit by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. This is PM Modi’s third visit to Saudi Arabia after 2016 and 2019.

Prime Minister Modi will reach Jeddah on Tuesday afternoon. This will be the first visit to Jeddah by an Indian Prime Minister in 40 years. On the first day on Tuesday, India and Saudi Arabia will sign at least six Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). According to sources, talks are going on to finalize some other agreements. Sources said that Prime Minister Modi will discuss issues related to Hajj, especially the quota of Indian pilgrims, in a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. The agreements that are likely to be signed between the two countries include the fields of space, energy, health, science and scientific research, culture and advanced technology.

Meetings continued till late night
An official said, the round of meetings continued in Riyadh till late Monday night to finalize the details. More than a dozen MoUs are being discussed, some of which will be signed at the official level.

PM Modi will also visit a factory
Sources said that efforts were intensified to finalize additional agreements related to trade, investment and defense 24 hours before the arrival of Prime Minister Modi. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi will also visit one of the factories where Indian workers are employed. This visit of PM Modi is taking place before the visit of US President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia next month.

India’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Suhail Ajaz Khan said, Jeddah is a very important city for contact between India and Saudi Arabia because for centuries it has been a major port for trade between the two countries. It is also the gateway to Mecca. Every person coming for Umrah and Haj first reaches Jeddah and then goes to Mecca.

Haj pilgrimage will also be discussed
He further said, Haj is a very important pilgrimage and the Government of India takes it very seriously. The Ministry of Minority Affairs arranges this event. This subject is discussed in detail in bilateral talks. There has always been good coordination between India and the Saudi government regarding Haj.

India’s Haj quota was 1,36,020 in 2014, which has increased to 1,75,025 for 2025. Out of these, arrangements for 1,22,518 pilgrims have been completed. However, due to delay in contracts by Combined Haj Group Operators, about 42,000 Indian pilgrims will not be able to perform Haj this year.

Prime Minister Modi and the Crown Prince will jointly chair the second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council established in 2019, which aims to strengthen bilateral relations. PM Modi was awarded Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour in 2016.

In 2023, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia came on a state visit to New Delhi. He attended the G20 summit and co-chaired the first meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council. Let us tell you that India and Saudi Arabia have close and friendly relations. There is a long history of socio-cultural and business contacts between the two countries. New Delhi and Riyadh share strong bilateral relations in various fields including political, defence, security, trade, investment, energy, technology, health, education, culture and people-to-people contacts.