Modi makes history: No Indian PM has ever been to THIS city in Saudi Arabia in 40+ years
Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia today, April 22. Modi was invited to the Kingdom by Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who is also the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.
Modi will meet Prince Salman during the visit “to further deepen and strengthen” ties between the two nations, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement last week.
The high-profile visit underscores the remarkable transformation of India-Saudi relations from modest beginnings to a comprehensive strategic partnership spanning economic, defense, and cultural dimensions.
High Profile Visit
The visit comes amid intensified diplomatic engagement between the two nations. Last year, India made 11 ministerial-level visits to Saudi Arabia.
Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia is crucial for the geopolitical order. The world in general, and West Asia in particular, is suffering from conflicts made worse by economic tensions.
The visit comes as tariffs imposed by Donald Trump’s US administration have forced countries to further strengthen trade relations with allies for alternate markets.
India and Saudi Arabia are the two fastest-growing economies in the world. The two countries have the potential to influence the global order as members of the Global South and the G20. PM Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Salman are in good terms with US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The New First by PM Modi
Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit Jeddah in more than four decades. All his previous visits have been to Riyadh, the Saudi capital.
Indira Gandhi was the last Indian Prime Minister to visit Jeddah way back in 1982.
Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Suhel Ajaz Khan told that Modi, along with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, will chair the meeting of Strategic Partnership Council in Jeddah. The Council was established during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to India in 2019.
Located along the Red Sea coast in the Hejaz region, Jeddah, the commercial hub, is the second largest city of Saudi Arabia after Riyadh. Jeddah is also significant as the gateway to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities of Islam and sites of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
“The significance of the connectivity between India and Saudi Arabia because for centuries, Jeddah has been the port for our pilgrims who come for Umrah and Hajj to come to Saudi Arabia,” Khan said.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
Modi’s India visit will provide an important opportunity to discuss key regional and global issues. These include the situation in West Asia, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and threats to maritime security due to Houthi attacks, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said during a special press briefing last week
India and Saudi Arabia are likely to deepen their defence cooperation and expand their economic ties. Currently, bilateral trade between the two countries is valued at around USD 43 billion, Misri said.
PM Modi’s visit is being seen as a significant step in strengthening India’s ties not just with Saudi Arabia, but with the entire Gulf and Islamic world, he said.
Modi to visit a factory in Jeddah
Modi is expected to visit a factory in Jeddah where Indian workers are employed. He will interact with them during his time there.
Saudi Arabia is India’s fifth-largest trading partner and home to 2.7 million Indians who live and work there.
Modi is also visiting Saudi Arabia at a time when his government in India is facing protests over changes to a decades-old Waqf Laws governing Muslim-owned properties donated for religious and charitable purposes.
