India: EAM Jaishankar to review bilateral ties with Saudi Arabia in 3-day visit

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia beginning on Saturday, to discuss ways to further strengthen relations between the two countries.

During the visit, Jaishankar will co-chair — with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud — the first ministerial meeting of the Committee on Political, Security, Social and Cultural Cooperation (PSSC), established under the framework of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council.

The two ministers will undertake a comprehensive review of the entire bilateral relationship, and will discuss the progress under the four Joint Working Groups of the PSSC Committee – Political & Consular; Legal & Security; Social & Cultural; and Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation.

Meetings of these Joint Working Groups and senior officials have been held over the past few months, an External Affairs Ministry statement said.

It added that both sides would also discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest, including their cooperation at the UN, G20 and GCC.

Jaishankar will also meet other Saudi dignitaries as well as the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf.

The two sides will review bilateral relations and discuss ways to enhance them.

Jaishankar, who is on his first visit to Saudi Arabia as the External Affairs Minister, will also interact with the Indian community there.

The Ministry noted that India-Saudi Arabia relations have strengthened considerably over the past few years, in areas like politics, security, energy, trade, investments, health, food security, cultural and defence.

The top leadership of both countries remained in close touch even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the MEA statement said.

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