Brief Context
Context The 3rd India–Saudi Arabia Security Working Group meeting was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Key Highlights of the India–Saudi Security Dialogue Focus Areas: Counter-terrorism cooperation, including emerging threats. Countering extremism and radicalisation.
Source Content
Syllabus: GS2/ International Relations
Context
- The 3rd India–Saudi Arabia Security Working Group meeting was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Key Highlights of the India–Saudi Security Dialogue
- Focus Areas:
- Counter-terrorism cooperation, including emerging threats.
- Countering extremism and radicalisation.
- Combating terror financing.
- Preventing misuse of technology for terrorist purposes.
- Addressing the nexus between transnational organised crime and terrorism.
- Institutional Framework: The dialogue operates under the India–Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC), providing continuity and predictability to cooperation.
India Saudi Arabia Relations
- Political Relations: The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1947.
- The royal visit of 2006 resulted in the signing of the Delhi Declaration, which was followed in 2010 by the Riyadh Declaration that elevated bilateral ties to a strategic partnership.
- The Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) Agreement was signed during the 2019 visit of the Indian PM to Riyadh, which established a high-level council to steer the Indo-Saudi relationship.
- Economic Relations: India is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest trade partner; Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth-largest trade partner.
- The bilateral trade between the partners stood at $43.3 billion in 2023-24. Saudi’s direct investments in India amounted to $3.15 billion (as of March 2022).
- Energy Cooperation: Saudi Arabia was India’s third largest crude and petroleum products source for FY23.
- India imported 39.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of crude from the country in FY23, amounting to 16.7% of India’s total crude imports.
- India’s LPG imports from Saudi Arabia stood at 7.85 MMT, and 11.2% of its total petroleum product imports, in FY 23.
- Defence Cooperation: Saudi Arabia signed a $250 mn contract for ammunition from Munitions India Limited, a Defence Public Sector Undertaking.
- Saudi Arabia has procured the 155mm Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) from Bharat Forge.
- Joint exercises:
- Sada Tanseeq: The inaugural Army exercise held in Rajasthan in January 2024.
- Tarang Shakti: Saudi Arabia participated as an observer in India’s largest air exercise.
- Al Mohed Al Hindi: Bilateral naval exercise initiated in 2022.
- Indian diaspora: As of 2025, there were 2.7 million Indians in Saudi Arabia. This is the second largest number of foreign workers in the country, after Bangladesh.
Way Ahead
- Balanced Regional Engagement: Sustain India’s strategic autonomy by engaging Saudi Arabia alongside other Gulf partners, contributing to regional stability without entanglement in regional rivalries.
- Legal and Judicial Cooperation: Improve mechanisms for extradition, mutual legal assistance, and information sharing to counter terrorism financing and organised crime networks.
- Strengthen the Security Working Group under the Strategic Partnership Council to address emerging threats such as cyber-terrorism, lone-wolf attacks, and technology-enabled radicalisation.
Source: TH