Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, April 22, departed for a two-day State Visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. PM Modi’s plane received a grand welcome upon its arrival in Saudi Arabian airspace. On his third visit to Saudi Arabia, PM Modi was greeted by the Royal Saudi Air Force in the air, even before the aircraft landed in the Middle Eastern country.
The spectacle was a special moment as fighter planes escorted the PM’s aircraft to Jeddah from Saudi airspace. Notably, PM Modi’s plane was escorted by F15s of the Royal Saudi Air Force, marking a positive step towards defence cooperation.
During this visit, PM Modi is scheduled to co-chair the Second Leaders’ Meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council with Crown Prince and PM of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.
Highlighting the growing ties between India and Saudi Arabia, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, in a post on X, stated, “[India Saudi Arabia flag] friendship flying high! As a special gesture for the State Visit of PM @narendramodi, his aircraft was escorted by the Royal Saudi Air Force as it entered the Saudi airspace.”
Describing Saudi Arabia as “a trusted friend and strategic ally”, PM Modi underscored the significant expansion of bilateral relations since the creation of the Strategic Partnership Council in 2019, in an interview with Arab News. The last time PM Modi met the Crown Prince was during the G20 Summit, which was held in India in 2023.
JD Vance’s visit to India
A day before travelling to Saudi Arabia, PM Modi met US Vice President JD Vance in Delhi to discuss wide-ranging bilateral and regional issues. He also touched upon opportunities for military partnership and measures to boost commerce and technology between the two countries. These meetings aim to strengthen economic and technological partnership between the two countries.
Following the meeting, PM Modi in a post on X, stated, “Pleased to welcome US @VP @JDVance and his family in New Delhi. We reviewed the fast-paced progress following my visit to the US and meeting with President Trump. We are committed to mutually beneficial cooperation, including in trade, technology, defence, energy and people-to-people exchanges. India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership will be a defining partnership of the 21st Century for a better future of our people and the world.”
