India reacts to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia defence agreement: ‘We expect that…’

Addressing a briefing, Randhir Jaiswal highlighted India's strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia, which has deepened in the last couple of years.

Updated on: Sep 19, 2025, 20:46:52 IST

Edited by Majid Alam

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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday reacted to Saudi Arabia's recent defence agreement with Pakistan, saying India expects that Riyadh will keep in mind the mutual interests and sensitivities.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was speaking on the "strategic mutual defence" agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Monday.

Addressing the weekly press briefing, Jaiswal highlighted India's strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia, which has deepened in the last couple of years.

"India and Saudi Arabia have a wide-ranging strategic partnership which has deepened considerably in the last several years. We expect that this strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities," Jaiswal said at the briefing.

Also Read: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia seal mutual defence pact

The MEA on Thursday said that the government will take all steps to protect the country’s national interests and ensure comprehensive national security in all domains.

"We have seen reports of the signing of a strategic mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The government was aware that this development, which formalizes a long-standing arrangement between the two countries, had been under consideration," Jaiswal said.

He further said that India will "study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability."

Also Read: 'We're in touch with family': What India said on Telangana techie shot dead in US

The defence deal between the two nations — which declares that any attack on either country will be considered “an aggression against both” — comes days after the Israeli attack on the Hamas leadership in Qatar.

According to the joint statement, the agreement builds on the historic partnership extending for nearly eight decades between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and is based on the bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity, as well as shared strategic interests and close defence cooperation between the two countries.

With inputs from agencies

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Majid Alam
Majid Alam is a Chief Content Producer working at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi. He currently heads shifts at online desk and manages homepage apart from writing, editing and curating articles. With over six years of experience in journalism, Majid has navigated national, politics and international news. His work primarily focuses on the politics of the Hindi heartland, government policies, and South Asia. He also writes on US and Europe’s policies vis-à-vis India. Before joining Hindustan Times, Majid worked at ABP LIVE as the Chief Copy Editor and at News18, where he managed the World and Explainers sections. His articles have featured in Dialogue Earth, The Quint, BMJ, The Diplomat, and Outlook India. Majid has a keen interest in the use of data for storytelling. Majid holds a Masters in Convergent Journalism from Jamia Millia Islamia. He was awarded the Erasmus+ scholarship to study International Affairs at Sciences Po, Paris in 2020. He is also part of the OCEANS Network, an alumni network of Erasmus+ exchange scholars. He is currently serving as the National Representative (India) at the OCEANS Network. Apart from journalism, Majid has a flair for academic writing and loves to teach. He has published a book chapter: 'Bombay Cinema and Postmodernism' in the book: 'Handbook of Research on Social and Cultural Dynamics in Indian Cinema.' He was also part of the OCEANS Network delegation to Hanoi National University of Education in Vietnam in 2025. He has also given guest lecture in digital journalism at AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia.Read More

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