New Delhi, SPA:
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi received here today His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense.
Upon HRH Crown Prince's arrival at Hyderabad Palace, commemorative photos were taken.
Then, a bilateral meeting was held between HRH Crown Prince and Indian Prime Minister, during which HRH Crown Prince conveyed the greetings and appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to the Prime Minister, while the Prime Minister sent his greetings and appreciation to the King.
HRH Crown Prince and Indian Prime Minister held an expanded meeting during which they reviewed distinguished relations between the Kingdom and India and ways of developing the prospects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. They also discussed regional and international developments and efforts being exerted towards them.
In the presence of HRH Crown Prince and the Indian Prime Minister, five bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed between the two sides.
They included a framework program for cooperation between the General Investment Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Investment of India; a memorandum of understanding in the field of housing between the two countries; a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of tourism between Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and Indian Ministry of Tourism; a memorandum of understanding in the field of investment in National Investment and Infrastructure Fund of India between the governments of the two countries; and a memorandum of understanding between the two countries for cooperation in the field of broadcasting between Saudi Broadcasting Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Prasar Bharati New Delhi India.
It was also announced the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's joining of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
Following the signing of the agreements and memorandums of understanding, HRH Crown Prince said in a press statement, "The Prime Minister said that this is my first visit to India, while in fact this is my first visit as the head of a delegation, but I have visited India a number of times, whether as part of governmental delegations or private visits, and we said this morning that India's relations with the Arabian Peninsula, in which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represents the largest part of its area, are extended for thousands of years even before the writing of history, and these relations are rooted in our minds and blood".
HRH Crown Prince also said, "Today, we are building on a very old relationship that has contributed to the building of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the last 50 years through Indian laborers, companies and minds, and the opportunities between our two countries today are very great, whereas there are many interests that intersect. In addition, there are many challenges we face together. The interests are represented by a number of fields, including energy, agriculture, technology, culture and social fields. We want to make sure as governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India to employ all strategies and plans to achieve these interests".
HRH Crown Prince said that the Prime Minister of India visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2016 and the visit resulted in 2017 and 2018 in a number of successes that achieved investment in the field of refining and petrochemicals amounting to 44 billion US dollars.
HRH Crown Prince said, "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not a country that only sells oil, we sell oil and invest in the country where we sell oil in the petrochemical industry and many industries in this field. We have agreed to expand this field in storing, and other fields that make India an important regional center in distributing oil and its products'', adding, "In the last two years, we have invested $ 10 billion in technology and small companies in India and we have achieved very remarkable returns in the past two years, which will motivate us to invest more in the coming years".
HRH Crown Prince added, "We expect that the opportunity we are developing in India in many fields will exceed 100 billion dollars over the next two years. We want to work as two governments to ensure these investments and achieve beneficial returns for both countries. We also hope that relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India will contribute to providing more opportunities for Indian laborers and manpower to contribute to the future of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and building the Kingdom's Vision 2030, as both countries face similar challenges, namely, extremism, terrorism and the security of the Indian Ocean".
HRH Crown Prince concluded, "We assure India that we are ready to work, whether in intelligence or political fields to be in agreement with the efforts of all our countries, all countries surrounding us and all countries surrounding India for rapprochement and playing a better role to build a good, distinctive and safer future to contribute to the progress of our countries. I would like to thank the Prime Minister for the warm hospitality, the wonderful work and for the positive role, which if it does not exist, I can assure you that we will not be able to achieve anything in the Saudi-Indian cooperation. I also thank the people and Government of India for the wonderful effort and the hospitality, hoping for a prosperous and very strong future between the two countries".