JEDDAH — India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his accompanying delegation arrived in Jeddah on Tuesday on a two-day state visit to Saudi Arabia. Upon his arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport, Modi was received by Makkah Deputy Emir Prince Saud bin Mishaal, Minister of Commerce Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi, the accompanying minister, and other senior officials. The visit is in response to an invitation from Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. This visit by Modi is the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Jeddah in more than 40 years. Modi visited Riyadh in 2016 and 2019 in his earlier visits to Saudi Arabia as prime minister of India. Upon arrival in Jeddah, Modi said in a statement on his X account. "Landed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This visit will strengthen the friendship between India and Saudi Arabia. Eager to take part in various programs today and tomorrow." In his departure statement, Modi said that he is looking forward to build upon the "highly successful State visit" of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to India in 2023. In a special gesture, Modi's aircraft was escorted by F-15 jets of Saudi Arabia when his special flight entered the Kingdom's airspace on Tuesday. In a post on X, India's Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "Friendship flying high! As a special gesture for the State Visit of PM Narendra Modi, his aircraft was escorted by the Royal Saudi Air Force as it entered the Saudi airspace." Modi and the Crown Prince will hold wide ranging talks and will co-chair the second meeting of the Saudi-India Strategic Partnership Council. The Crown Prince's visit to India in 2019 saw the establishment of the council, aligning the Kingdom's Vision 2030 with India's Vision 2047. Several agreements and memoranda of understanding are expected to signed during the visit, which will conclude on Wednesday. Modi will also interact with the Indian community in the city. In press statements, Modi revealed that his country and Saudi Arabia are exploring joint projects in refineries and petrochemicals, with Saudi investments in India's defense manufacturing sector, which has remained open to private investment. "New avenues for cooperation in cybersecurity are being explored," he said while noting that India and Saudi Arabia are conducting feasibility studies on linking electricity grids. India is Saudi Arabia's second-largest trading partner, and Saudi Arabia is India's fifth-largest trading partner. Saudi Arabia and India seek to develop cooperation in the field of clean and renewable energy, and agreements were signed earlier between the two countries in the areas of investment, industry, and water desalination. Saudi Arabia and India plan to build the world's largest environmentally friendly oil refinery, costing $44 billion and with a production capacity of 1.2 million barrels per day. Saudi Arabia is a major source of remittances to India, with more than 2.3 million Indians residing in the Kingdom.
