PM Modi talks ties with Saudi Crown Prince Salman over phone call
The two leaders expressed satisfaction about the steady growth in the India-Saudi partnership, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
FollowFurther enhancing their bilateral relations, India and Saudi Arabia have discussed to expand the trade and investment ties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a telephonic conversation on Wednesday and reviewed the functioning of the bilateral Strategic Partnership Council established in 2019.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction about the steady growth in the India-Saudi partnership, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The bilateral strategic partnership council enables top leaders of two countries to review progress made in identified projects and initiatives, including trade, investment and defence.
It was announced during the Saudi Crown Prince visit to India in February 2019 and signed when the Indian prime minister visited Riyadh in October 2019.
During their conversation, PM Modi highlighted the opportunities that the Indian economy offers to Saudi investors.
"The leaders agreed to continue supporting each other's efforts against the Covid-19 pandemic, in the spirit of the special friendship and people-to-people links between India and Saudi Arabia," it said.
They also reviewed regional and international developments of mutual interest.
During their talks, PM Modi reiterated his invitation to the Crown Prince to visit India at an early date.
India-Saudi Arabia relations
In the past two years, the bilateral trade between the two countries has grown to $34 billion in 2019-20 from $27 billion in 2018-19.
In a major development, the armies of the two countries will undertake the joint exercise for the first time later this year in Saudi Arabia.
In December 2020, Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane had visited Saudi Arabia for the first time any Indian Army chief had visited the West Asian country.
The navies of the two countries were also to hold their first-ever joint naval exercise in March last year but had to postpone it due to a global pandemic.
