NSA Doval meets US, UAE counterparts in Saudi Arabia on 'interconnecting Middle East with India and the world'
The meeting between Doval, UAE NSA Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US NSA Jake Sullivan was hosted by the Saudi crown prince in Jeddah.
FollowIndia's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has met Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud along with the former's counterparts from the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
The meeting between Doval, UAE NSA Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US NSA Jake Sullivan was hosted by the Saudi crown prince in Jeddah.
According to a statement, the officials discussed ways to strengthen relations between the three countries in a manner that enhances growth in the region.
This was the first meeting between Doval and Sullivan after they launched the ambitious India US ICET (Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology) dialogue here in January. Sullivan is currently travelling to Saudi Arabia.
"National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and National Security Advisor of India Ajit Doval on May 7 in Saudi Arabia to advance their shared vision of a more secure and prosperous Middle East region interconnected with India and the world," the White House said Sunday in a readout of the meeting.
"Sullivan also held bilateral meetings with the Crown Prince, Sheikh Tahnoon, and Mr Doval to discuss bilateral and regional matters. He looks forward to further consulting with Mr Doval on the margins of the Quad Summit later this month in Australia," the White House said.
With Crown Prince Mohammed, he reviewed significant progress in talks to further consolidate the now 15-month long truce in Yemen and welcomed ongoing UN-led efforts to bring the war to a close, as well as covering a range of other issues.
"Mr Sullivan thanked the Crown Prince for the support Saudi Arabia has provided to US citizens during the evacuation from Sudan. The four delegates agreed to maintain regular consultations and follow up on the matters discussed throughout the day," the White House said.
Last week, Doval was in Iran where he met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi who pitched for taking India-Iran ties to a "new level", especially in the economic and commercial fields. Raisi also conveyed to Doval in the meeting on Monday that groupings such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the BRICS can be "very effective" in view of the global geo-political changes, according to a statement issued by the Iranian President's office.
The NSA was on a day-long visit to Iran on Monday. Besides calling on Raisi, Doval held separate talks with his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Witn PTI inputs
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