Against the backdrop of the Pulwama terror attack last week in which 44 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers were martyred, visiting Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) said here on Wednesday terrorism and extremism are “common concerns” and his country will extend cooperation to India and neighbouring countries to deal with them.
He held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called the attack a “cruel symbol” of the scourge of terrorism and sought punishment for terrorists and their backers. However, both the leaders refrained from naming Pakistan.
Terrorism and extremism are “common concerns” and Saudi Arabia will extend all cooperation to India and other neighbouring countries to deal with them, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said.
The talks between him and Modi took place a day after the influential Arab leader concluded a high-profile visit to Pakistan and agianst the backdrop of India’s escalating tension with Islamabad following the Pulwama terror attack.
The External Affairs Ministry later said the Saudi Crown Prince and Modi condemned the Pulwama terror attack by JeM while “complicity” of Pakistan was underlined during the meeting between the two leaders.
Briefing reporters on the Crown Prince’s visit and on the issues discussed during the talks, TS Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the External Affairs Ministry said, the two leaders also called upon countries to renounce use of terrorism as a state policy.
In his media statement, Modi called the attack a “cruel symbol” of the scourge of terrorism and sought punishment for the terrorists and their backers. The Crown Prince, however, did not mention the strike.
“Last week’s barbaric Pulwama attack was a symbol of the shadow of the inhuman danger hovering over the world. To deal with the scourge, we have agreed there is a need to ramp up pressure on countries extending any sort of support to terrorism,” Modi said, without naming Pakistan.
He said dismantling terror infrastructure, eliminating support to terrorism and punishing terrorists and their supporters are very necessary.
In his address, Modi also called for a strong action plan to combat extremism so that powers spreading violence and terror cannot mislead the youth. The PM said both sides agreed that stronger bilateral cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, maritime security and cyber-security will be beneficial for the two countries.
“Today, we held extensive and meaningful discussions on all subjects of our bilateral relations. We have decided to take our economic cooperation to new heights,” he said. In order to facilitate institutional investment from Saudi Arabia in India’s economy, the two countries have agreed to establish a framework, Modi said. “As a result of our meeting in Argentina two months ago, the essence of our strategic partnership has expanded in the areas of security, trade and investment,” he said.
It is time to turn energy relations into a strategic partnership, he said.
The Crown Prince arrived here on a less than 30-hour visit on Tuesday night, 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.
In a joint statement, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Monday called for avoiding “politicisation” of the UN listing regime, at a time India is stepping up efforts to brand Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist. The joint statement said the Saudi Crown Prince stressed dialogue is the only way to ensure peace and stability in the region.
In a special gesture, Modi received MBS at the airport, signifying the importance India attaches to the visit by the leader of the Gulf nation. The two sides inked five pacts to expand cooperation in a range of areas, including trade and investment. The two countries also agreed to establish a biennial summit and a strategic partnership council, Modi said.
Meanwhile, after he was given a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday, the Crown Prince talked about historical linkages between the two countries and stressed on expanding the ties.
“The relationship between India and Saudi Arabia is in our DNA... Today, we want to be ensured that the relationship is maintained and improved for sake of both the countries and with the leadership of Mr President and the Prime Minister, we can create good things for both the countries,” MBS told reporters.
He also talked about the contribution of lakhs of Indians in the overall development of Saudi Arabia.