Source : INDIATV NEWS
PM Modi is set to arrive on Tuesday afternoon at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Jeddah in four decades.
A headway on the quota of Hajj quota for Indian pilgrims is likely to come this week as Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud.
India and Saudi Arabia are set to sign at least six memoranda of understanding (MoUs) during PM Modi’s visit to Jeddah. Discussions were ongoing late Monday to finalise additional agreements.
PM Modi’s statement
“Leaving for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where I will be attending various meetings and programmes. India values our historic relations with Saudi Arabia. Bilateral ties have gained significant momentum in the last decade. I look forward to participating in the 2nd Meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council. I will also be interacting with the Indian community there. The two countries are expected to formalise MoUs in key areas including space, energy, health, science and research, culture, and advanced technology,” he said.
This will be my third visit to Saudi Arabia over the past decade and a first one to the historic city of Jeddah. I look forward to participating in the 2nd Meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council and build upon the highly successful State visit of my brother His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman to India in 2023, he added.
“India-Saudi High Level Task Force on Investments held its meeting in Riyadh on April 21. The meeting co-chaired by Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to Hon’ble PM & HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister @MoEnergy_Saudi, discussed wide-ranging issues of mutual importance,” the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said in a post on X.
In the 24 hours preceding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival, concerted efforts were underway to finalise additional agreements in the areas of trade, investment, and defence. PM Modi will arrive in the kingdom in the afternoon.
Modi is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday afternoon, following an invitation from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The visit marks the first by an Indian prime minister to Jeddah in four decades.
“Jeddah is a very, very significant city in terms of connectivity between India and Saudi Arabia because for centuries, Jeddah was the port for the trade between the two countries, and it is also a gateway to Mecca. So anyone who is coming for Umrah and Hajj lands up in Jeddah and then goes to Mecca,” Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Suhel Ajaz Khan told PTI.
“Hajj is a very important activity and the Government of India gives it a lot of importance. The Ministry of Minority Affairs has been arranging this activity. There are various issues discussed in the bilateral talks. There has always been a great coordination between the Saudi government and India on Hajj,” he added.
India’s Haj quota for 2025 has increased to 175,025, up from 136,020 in 2014, with arrangements already in place for 122,518 pilgrims. However, due to delays in finalising contract agreements by Combined Haj Group Operators, around 42,000 Indians are unlikely to undertake the sacred pilgrimage this year.
PM Modi Saudi Arabia visit schedule
Prime Minister Modi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will jointly chair the second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council, a body established during Modi’s 2019 visit to enhance bilateral relations.
On Wednesday, the prime minister, who was awarded Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour in 2016, is also scheduled to visit a factory that employs Indian workers.
