Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit India in mid-November and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral ties and issues like the raging Ukraine conflict. The Crown Prince is also the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The visit has geopolitical significance in the backdrop of U.S.-Saudi tensions over oil production cuts by the OPEC+ grouping. US President Joseph Biden had warned of “consequences” for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Crown Prince will arrive in New Delhi on November 14 and leave for G-20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia the same day after holding talks with Modi, sources said here on Sunday. Modi, Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping among other leaders will also attend the summit in Bali on November 15-16.
The Crown Prince is coming here on the invitation of the Indian Prime Minister, they said adding External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had extended the invitation to him during his visit to Saudi Arabia last month. On the likelihood of a bilateral meeting between Jinping and Modi on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, sources said here it is yet to be confirmed.
Both the leaders were present at the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation(SCO)summit in Uzbekistan last month. As regards talks between the Prime Ministers of India and Saudi Arabia, sources said they will review the present energy security situation due to Ukraine conflict scenario due.
The two leaders will also take stock of the situation in the backdrop of sanctions against Russia by the western nations
The two leaders will review bilateral projects including the progress on the Crown Prince 2019 promise of “$100 billion investment” in India, particularly in oil reserves, and green energy projects.
Modi has visited Riyadh twice, in 2016 and 2019, and announced a number of MoUs and projects as well, which will be reviewed, said officials.
Saudi Arabia hosted the G-20 in 2020, and discussions will focus on the agenda for the G-20 in India next year, with a summit in Delhi in September 2023.
Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman visited India this week, ahead of the Crown Prince, as OPEC+ took a decision on cutting oil production. He had simultaneously held talks with Chinese officials online.