Prime Minister Narendra Modi is struggling to lift bilateral engagement to an entirely different level after he assumed office. There was international relief when he chartered the new course for India’s bilateral relationship that had got frozen under UPA regime. The Prime Minister has rightly pinpointed that in a globalizing world, genuine engagement is measured principally in economic terms. India, in his words, needs to be perceived as being good for international business, especially at a time of global economic slowdown.
Modi and King Salman expressed satisfaction at the $39 billion trade in 2014-15.Taking note of the excellent trade and economic engagement, with the two countries being among the top trading partners for each other, the two leaders agreed upon further strengthening these ties, particularly through diversifying non-oil trade. They expressed satisfaction at the growing presence of Indian and Saudi companies in each other’s market and agreed to further encourage trade promotion measures and participation in fairs and exhibitions. Significantly, King Salman also lauded the strong growth shown by the Indian economy and expressed appreciation for Modi’s remarkable vision for the future of the country commending Modi’s initiatives of ‘Startup India’, ‘Make in India’, ‘Smart City’, and ‘Clean India’ etc. The Indian side also highlighted the key initiatives taken to improve the ease of doing business in the country and its key efforts to simplify and rationalize existing rules and relax the foreign direct investment norms in key areas, including railways, defence and insurance. Inviting Saudi Arabia to be a partner in India’s growth story, Modi encouraged Saudi Aramco, SABIC and other Saudi companies to invest in the infrastructure sector in India.
India and Saudi Arabia on Sunday agreed to expand strategic cooperation in areas of counter-terrorism, defence, trade and investment. Modi, who called on Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, was conferred Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour, the King Abdulaziz Sash.
A more significant outcome of the visit is that the two leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism operations, intelligence sharing and capacity-building to strengthen cooperation in law enforcement, anti-money laundering, and drug trafficking and other transnational crimes. The two leaders condemned terrorism in all forms and manifestations, irrespective of who the perpetrators were and of their motivations.
The Indian side was briefed on the Kingdom’s initiative in bringing together an Islamic Alliance against terrorism. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on intelligence sharing and a framework agreement aimed at facilitating investments by the private sectors were signed. The pacts on recruiting general category workers and promoting cooperation in the field of handicrafts were also inked.
Modi also addressed a roundtable with a group of 30 Saudi chief executive officers and Indian businessmen, where he batted for improved relations in areas such as petroleum, renewable energy, infrastructure, defence and agriculture.
The fact that two leaders have agreed that terrorism is not to be associated with any specific culture, faith or group is reiteration of Modi’s stand which he firmly expressed in the recently held G-20 meeting in Turkey. Saudi Arabia is aware that some people or organizations are misusing the name of Islam for perpetrating terrorist like Al Qaeda and ISIS. King Salman’s message will prove a tremendous setback to the terrorist organizations using the soil of a particular country to launch attacks on a neighbouring country.
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