India and Saudi Arabia Hold First Leaders’ Meeting of Strategic Partnership Council

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman convened the inaugural leaders’ meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council during the Crown Prince’s state visit to India. Their discussions encompassed a wide array of bilateral cooperation areas, including energy security, trade and investment, defense and security, healthcare, food security, culture, and community welfare.

Both leaders reviewed the achievements of the two Ministerial Committees of the Strategic Partnership Council, which focus on political, security, social, and cultural cooperation, as well as economic and investment cooperation. India and Saudi Arabia share strong and historically close relations, with robust people-to-people connections.

Trade between the two nations reached a record high of $52.75 billion in 2022-23, making Saudi Arabia India’s second-largest trading partner and India Saudi Arabia’s fourth-largest trading partner. Additionally, the two countries have a substantial partnership in the energy sector.