NEW DELHI In a special gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday received Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the airport here, signifying the importance India attaches to the visit by the leader of the powerful Gulf nation.
The Crown Prince arrived here on a visit for under 30 hours, a day after concluding his high-profile tour of Pakistan where he said dialogue was the only way to resolve outstanding issues between India and Pakistan.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted, A new chapter in bilateral relations. Breaking protocol, PM @narendramodi personally receives HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia as he arrives on his first bilateral visit to India!
The Saudi leader returned to Riyadh from Pakistan.
He and Modi will hold extensive talks on Wednesday during which India is likely to raise strongly the issue of “Pakistan-sponsored terrorism”.
Modi and Salman are expected to look at ways to enhance defence ties, including holding a joint naval exercise, official sources said.
According to the External Affairs Ministry, the Crown Prince will leave New Delhi around 11.50 p.m. on Wednesday.
His visit comes against the backdrop of the escalating tension between India and Pakistan. In a joint statement, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Monday called for avoiding politicisation of the UN listing regime at a time when India was stepping up efforts to brand the JeM militant groups chief Masood Azhar as a “global terrorist”.
Saudi Arabias Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said in Islamabad that Riyadh would try to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama attack.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
