Saudi Crown Prince Visit: Why India should consolidate its partnership with the Kingdom

HRH Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be paying his first State visit to India beginning from today, February 19 for two days. During the visit, which comes at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Crown Prince will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Ministers, senior officials and leading Saudi businessmen. Deals of almost $1 billion are expected, including majorly in the National Investment Infrastructure Fund which is meant for infrastructure development, something India badly needs. During his  meetings with the Prime Minister the Crown Prince will also be having detailed discussions on the entire spectrum of bilateral ties, including trade and investment, defence and security, including counter terrorism, and renewable energy, which has emerged as yet another major area of cooperation for both sides.

The visit however comes amidst heightened tensions with neighbour Pakistan. The 14th February massacre in Pulwama by a suicide attacker belonging to the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, in which 42 CRPF troopers have lost their lives, is the biggest terror attack on Indian territory since the Mumbai attacks of November 2008. The Crown Prince will be arriving in India after visiting arch-rival Pakistan, who India wants to diplomatically isolate as a fall-out of the Pulwama attack. In Islamabad the Crown Prince signed MOUs amounting to a whopping $20 billion. This has cast a shadow on the incoming visit of the Prince to India amidst speculation of  what kind of balancing act may be in the offing.

 India should not worry much about the deals Saudi Arabia signs with Pakistan. It should make the development of bilateral relations its focus, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been doing. Under his watch Indo-Saudi relations have received a fillip. The kingdom conferred on him its highest civilian honour during his visit there in 2016. Saudi Arabia is an important partner for India. Bilateral trade amounted to US$ 27.48 billion in 2017-18, making Saudi Arabia India’s fourth largest trading partner. India depends on Saudi Arabia for 20 per cent of its crude requirements, and the kingdom has stood by India during some critical times. Almost 2.7 million Indians live and work in the kingdom making up its largest expatriate group. Recently, Saudi ARAMCO in partnership with ADNOC of UAE has entered into a Joint Venture for US$ 44 billion worth Ratnagiri Refinery and Petro-Chemical project Ltd, though the project has run into some hiccups because of difficulties with land acquisition in the country.

India and Saudi Arabia have also entered into a defence partnership and are slated to soon engage in joint maritime exercises. Saudi Arabia appreciates and understand India’s concerns regarding security and terrorism, which is one of the major topics to be discussed in the Crown Prince’s meeting with Prime Minister Modi tomorrow. Saudi Arabia has deported men wanted by India on terror charges. It has roundly condemned the Pulwama attack. The kingdom is well aware of the role Pakistan has played in fomenting terror activities in the region. It may not be coincidental that instead of proceeding to Delhi straight from Islamabad, the Crown Prince first returned to Riyadh. It is, therefore, important for India to deepen its relations and impress on the Saudis the edge it has over Pakistan and the merits of what it h as to offer. A senior official was quoted by a television channel as saying that “When they (Saudis) invest in India, they invest in a robust economy. They are not here to bail out India.” While Indians have watched with apprehension the deals signed yesterday between the KSA and Pakistan, this is just what gives the Saudis great leverage with Pakistan. This is what India should seek to use to its advantage. It is already in discussions with Saudi Arabia regarding the future of Afghanistan in the wake of the signaling by the US of an imminent troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, as Saudi Arabia is an important stake holder in future Afghan peace and security.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has set his country on a new course. Under his leadership Saudi Arabia, normally used to keeping a low profile, has taken bold initiatives hitherto useen. It is eager to play a more visible role in international affairs and can leverage its aid packages to Pakistan to make the latter bring the terror accused to book and play a more constructive role in securing regional peace and stability. It is also investing in an oil refinery in Gwadar. The Saudi prince’s next stop after India is China. As India’s NSG debacle proved, the US is no longer in the commanding position it once was, as when India got the nuclear waiver. Neither will it be easy for India to isolate Pakistan. India needs to look for new allies and partnerships and consolidate and strengthen existing ones. Saudi Arabia offers one such partnership.

Aditi Bhaduri

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