India and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday reiterated their categorical rejection of all forms of interference in the internal affairs of other countries and called upon the international community to fulfill its responsibilities towards preventing any attacks on the sovereignty of nations. Noting that extremism and terrorism threaten countries and societies, the two countries stressed the need to prevent access to weapons including missiles and drones to commit terror acts against other nations. “The two sides stressed that extremism and terrorism threaten all nations and societies. They rejected any attempt to link this universal phenomenon to any particular race, religion or culture. Both sides expressed their rejection of all terrorist acts and stressed the need to prevent access to weapons including missiles and drones to commit terrorist acts against other countries,” according to the India-Saudi joint statement published by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). India condemned terror acts against civilian installations in Saudi Arabia and both sides called for closer cooperation in the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre. They also agreed on strengthening cooperation in combating terrorist operations, exchange of information, capacity building and strengthening of cooperation in combating transnational crimes, within the framework of the existing bilateral security cooperation. “The two sides discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest, and reiterated their categorical rejection of all forms of interference in the internal affairs of countries, and the need for the international community to fulfill its responsibilities towards preventing any attacks on the sovereignty of states,” the statement said. Both sides agreed on the importance of bilateral engagement to promote ways to ensure the security and safety of waterways in the Indian Ocean region and the Gulf region from the threat and dangers that may affect the interests of the two countries including their national security. India and Saudi Arabia called on the need for a final political situation to end the civil war in Yemen and expressed hope for achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Palestine. “They stressed the Security Council Resolution (2254) with regard to the situation in Syria, and emphasised the importance of preserving the unity of Yemen and achieving its security and stability, and the importance of a political solution to the Yemeni crisis on the basis of the GCC initiative, the outcomes of the Yemeni National Dialogue and the Security Council Resolution (2216),” the statement said. “Both sides expressed hope for achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Palestine based on the Arab Peace Initiative and the relevant UN resolutions, to guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital,” it added. Both sides expressed appreciation for the progress of bilateral relations in political, economic, security, defence, manpower and people-to-people exchanges, in recent years, which have strengthened the bilateral relations. They expressed satisfaction at the high-level consultation and coordination between the two countries on regional and international issues of mutual interest, in the framework of their responsibility towards promoting peace, stability and security in the world. The two sides held bilateral talks during which they reviewed the historical and close relations that bind the two friendly countries and their peoples. They exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. “They underlined the relations of friendship and partnership embodied in economic, social, cultural and civilisational ties between the people of the two countries, and the great common opportunities that provide strong momentum for the development of relations between the two friendly countries,” the statement said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. During the visit, a number of MoUs were signed in several areas, including energy, civil aviation, security cooperation, defence, the launch of RuPay cards and regulation of medical products to further strengthen cooperation across the sectors. “The two sides expressed satisfaction at the establishment of Strategic Partnership Council between the two countries and the signing of its founding document by His Royal Highness Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence from the Saudi side, and the Prime Minister from the Indian side and their satisfaction at the agreements and memorandums of understanding exchanged during the visit between the government and private entities in both countries,” the statement said. Both the Prime Minister and Crown Prince held bilateral discussions, during which they appreciated the growing relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. “The two leaders praised the progress made in the bilateral cooperation in diverse fields since the visit of the Prime Minister to Riyadh in April 2016, and the visit of Crown Prince to India in February 2019, which deepened the strategic partnership and strengthened the cooperation between the two countries in various fields for the good of both the friendly countries and peoples,” the statement said. “The two sides noted the continued positive economic transformation in both countries and stressed the importance of expanding the trade and investment ties in order to advance strategic cooperation. They expressed happiness with the positive trend in the bilateral trade over the recent years and reaffirmed the further deepening of trade and investment cooperation between the two countries under the Vision 2030 of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” it added. India and Saudi Arabia urged the business communities in the two countries to utilise the investment opportunities in both the nations, especially in the fields of infrastructure, mining, energy including renewables, agriculture, technology transfer, and in the areas of skilled human resources in information technology, electronics and telecommunications. At the end of the visit, Modi expressed his gratitude to the Government and people of Saudi Arabia for the warm hospitality extended to him and the accompanying delegation. “He affirmed India’s great welcome and support for the Kingdom’s forthcoming Presidency of the G20 in 2020, and that he looks forward to participating in the next summit of the leaders of the G20 countries to be held in Riyadh. He praised the great efforts being exerted by the Kingdom within the framework of the G20,” the joint statement said. The Saudi King expressed his best wishes for the health and happiness of the Prime Minister and “for the progress and prosperity of the friendly Indian people”. He welcomed the invitation extended to him by Modi to visit India, to complete the consultations and discuss matters of bilateral cooperation and regional and international issues of mutual interest, in order to serve the interests of the two countries, the statement further said.
