Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia on April 22–23 at the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, with both countries expected to deepen their growing strategic partnership across multiple sectors.
This marks Modi’s third visit to the Kingdom since 2016 and comes months after the Saudi Crown Prince’s trip to New Delhi during the G20 Summit, where he co-chaired the first meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC).
India and Saudi Arabia, which elevated their ties to a Strategic Partnership in 2010, have witnessed a rapid transformation in bilateral engagement over the past decade. Key areas of cooperation now include political dialogue, defence, security, trade, investment, energy, technology, health, culture, and people-to-people ties.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the visit underscores India’s emphasis on cultivating closer links with its extended neighbourhood under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.
“India’s relations with the Kingdom have evolved into a stronger and enduring partnership in the past decade, expanding into many strategic domains, with growing investment commitments, broadening of defence cooperation and intensive high-level exchanges,” the MEA stated.
The SPC, co-chaired at the top level by PM Modi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is anchored in two pillars: Political-Security-Socio-Cultural and Economic-Investment. Eight Joint Working Groups under the council continue to hold regular official-level discussions.
Growing Economic Synergies
Saudi Arabia remains India’s fifth largest trading partner, with bilateral trade figures touching $42.98 billion in FY 2023–24. India exported goods worth $11.56 billion, while imports, dominated by crude oil and LPG, reached $31.42 billion.
India is also Saudi Arabia’s second largest trade partner, with major Indian exports including engineering goods, rice, textiles, and petroleum products. Key imports include crude oil, LPG, fertilizers, and petrochemicals.
Saudi investment in India—estimated at $10 billion, including funds from the Public Investment Fund (PIF)—covers sectors like telecom, retail, hospitality, healthtech, and food processing. Indian companies have reciprocated with nearly $3 billion invested in the Kingdom, spanning infrastructure, tech, aviation, and financial services.
Energy and Strategic Supply Chains
Saudi Arabia was India’s third-largest supplier of crude oil and LPG during FY 2023–24, accounting for 14.3% and 18.2% of total imports, respectively. Fertilizer trade has also grown, with Saudi Arabia now India’s second-largest source of DAP.
People-to-People Ties and Diaspora
The Indian diaspora in Saudi Arabia—numbering over 2.7 million—forms a vital link between the two nations. Around 100,000 Indians migrated to Saudi Arabia for employment in the past year alone. Additionally, India’s Haj quota for 2024 stands at 175,025 pilgrims, underlining the cultural and religious ties between the two nations.
High-Level Exchanges Continue
Eleven ministerial visits have taken place between the two countries since January 2024. This includes trips by the Saudi Foreign Minister and the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources. In September 2024, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Riyadh to co-chair the first India-GCC Ministerial Meeting, further deepening regional engagement.
As Prime Minister Modi heads to Riyadh, the visit is widely expected to reinforce momentum across defence cooperation, strategic investments, clean energy initiatives, and regional stability dialogue—setting the stage for a more integrated and resilient India-Saudi Arabia partnership.
