New Delhi’s standalone bilateral with Riyadh
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud's recently concluded visit to New Delhi is an important indicator of how the India-Saudi Arabia bilateral has been coming into its own in recent years. Even though the two countries share civilisational linkages that go back centuries, the fact that in the post-Independence years, New Delhi and Riyadh often found themselves on different sides of the table on key issues of national interest, stunted their relationship. Indeed, for much of these past decades India's relationship with Saudi Arabia has been viewed almost entirely through the Pakistan-prism. It stands as one that is largely transactional, framed by oil and expatriates. However, things have changed since the turn of the century and both countries have been making a conscious effort to develop and deepen the bilateral. The 2006 Delhi Declaration, signed during King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud’s historic visit to India, established the new template, while the 2010 Riyadh Declaration signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reciprocal trip to Saudi Arabia four years on, built it up into a strategic partnership. Another four years later, the visit of the Crown Prince to New Delhi, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, ensures that the momentum is maintained.
At this point, the relationship is being fleshed out in terms of real developments on the ground, as opposed to high-profile talks and trips. For instance, it is now clear that military cooperation will be a key element of the bilateral, as evidenced by the security pact signed this time around. The agreement allows for the exchange of defence-related information and military training. Such collaboration had been indicated during Mr AK Antony's 2012 visit to Saudi Arabia — the first ever by an Indian Defence Minister to the Saudi Kingdom — which resulted in the establishment of a joint committee on defence cooperation. The focus on military cooperation is a good indicator of the India-Saudi Arabia relationship is emerging as a standalone bilateral, unfettered by New Delhi and Riyadh’s positions vis-à-vis Pakistan or even Iran or Israel. India and Saudi Arabia are also looking to strengthen economic ties by encouraging business communities to explore mutual investment opportunities. Even with regard to the oil trade, which remains the core of their commercial interests, both New Delhi and Riyadh are keen on transforming the existing buyer-seller relationship into a wholesome partnership involving joint research and development of technologies etc.