Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive in Jeddah on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the city in over four decades.
The visit highlights the remarkable transformation of India-Saudi Arabia relations, from modest beginnings to a comprehensive strategic partnership spanning economic, defense, and cultural cooperation.
This visit is especially significant, as past Indian prime ministerial visits were confined to Riyadh. The last Indian Prime Minister to visit Jeddah was Indira Gandhi in 1982.
Today, Jeddah stands as Saudi Arabia’s second-largest city, a key commercial hub along the Red Sea, in the historic Hejaz region. It also serves as the gateway to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities in Islam.
that the diplomatic relationship, formally established in 1947 following India’s independence, has witnessed significant milestones over its 78-year history.
The 1955 visit by King Saud marked the first Saudi royal visit to India, while King Abdullah’s landmark 2006 trip laid the groundwork for accelerated cooperation in the early 21st century.
The relationship entered a new phase in 2010 when both nations upgraded their ties to a Strategic Partnership, reflecting growing mutual interests in regional stability, energy security, and economic cooperation.
Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to Saudi Arabia in 2016 represented a turning point in bilateral relations. During this trip, King Salman conferred the Kingdom’s highest civilian honor, the ‘King Abdulaziz Sash,’ on PM Modi.
The visit established enhanced frameworks for cooperation across political, economic, security, and defense sectors.
By 2019, the relationship had matured further when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited India in February, followed by Modi’s return visit in October of the same year.
These exchanges culminated in the establishment of the Strategic Partnership Council, institutionalizing high-level engagement across multiple sectors.
Prime Minister Modi shares a strong personal rapport with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also the Prime Minister of the Kingdom.
Their bilateral relationship has been marked by warmth and high-level engagement, with the two leaders meeting five times prior to 2025.
Their most recent meeting was at the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023, where the Saudi Crown Prince also participated in the launch of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC).
The current visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of King Saud’s historic first visit to India and builds upon an intensified diplomatic calendar that has seen 11 Indian ministerial visits since January 2024, to the Kingdom.
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