Saudi defence chief’s India visit part of ‘steady evolution’ of relations — experts

Indian Army chief General MM Naravane (L) with Commander of the Royal Saudi Land Forces, Lieutenant General Fahd Bin Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mutair (R) in New Delhi, India on February 15, 2022. (Photo courtesy: Social Media)

• This week, the chief of the Royal Saudi land forces visited India in the “first ever” such visit
• PM Modi has moved to broaden ties with Riyadh beyond energy and build a strategic partnership

NEW DELHI: Foreign policy experts said on Wednesday this week’s visit to India by the chief of the Royal Saudi land forces was part of the “steady evolution” of strategic ties between the two nations, whose relations have for decades revolved mostly around energy cooperation. 
The “first ever visit” by any Saudi defence chief to India comes over a year after the visit by the Indian army chief to Riyadh.
The Indian defence ministry described this week's trip by Lieutenant General Fahd Bin Abdullah Mohammed al-Mutair as “historic and landmark,” saying it marked “deepening bilateral defence cooperation” between the two countries.
Until a few years ago, India’s relationship with Saudi Arabia was driven primarily by trade and the Indian diaspora in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is a top energy supplier to India and home to more than 3.5 million Indian expatriates.
Over the past few years, there had been some cooperation on security between the two countries, with Riyadh deporting four most wanted fugitives to India.
But Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked to broaden these ties, and the two governments have agreed to build a strategic partnership.
Defence relations between the two countries have seen a notable upswing in the last year with a series of high-level interactions and the first bilateral naval exercise, “Al-Mohed Al-Hindi,” conducted in August 2021 in Saudi Arabia’s Jubail. Trade between the two nations stands close to $25 billion dollars with India being the second largest partner of the Kingdom till last year.
Many also see Modi’s overtures to Saudi Arabia as part of a diplomatic effort to put pressure on arch rival Pakistan by forging ties with some of Islamabad’s closest allies.
Foreign policy experts say the visit of the Saudi defence chief is “a part of the steady evolution of India’s strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia.”
“India’s strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia, that began in 2010, was accelerated during the visit of PM Modi to Riyadh and the return of crown prince Mohammad bin Salman in 2019,” Talmiz Ahmad, former Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told Arab News. “The defence component of the partnership is very significant because it indicates a meeting of minds of two countries on regional security issues.”
He said the relationship between the two nations is “not based on a zero-sum approach.”
“Each country has relationships with different countries on the basis of their interests,” said Ahmad. “What is significant is that over the last 20 years Saudi Arabia has steadily given priority to its ties with India as an energy, economic and strategic partner because their strategic interests are common and both countries are committed to partnering with each other against the problems of extremism.”
Muddasir Quamar of the New Delhi-based think tank, the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), said the visit underlined “growing military-to-military ties.”
“There is a new found momentum in bilateral ties and it is reflected in military cooperation among other areas,” Quamar said. “The visit by the Indian defence chief to the Kingdom in 2020 strengthened bilateral security and defence ties.”
“A shared vision of bringing economic prosperity, peace and stability and combating terror has brought the two countries closer,” he added.
“In addition to Saudi officers joining training courses in Indian military schools, India and Saudi Arabia are also looking to collaborate in the defence manufacturing sector,” Quamar said. “The visit by LG Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Mutair will further enhance bilateral defence cooperation between New Delhi and Riyadh.”