The developments in Afghanistan and other regional issues figured in discussions on Sunday between external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his visiting Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud.
Prince Faisal is the first Saudi minister to visit India since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out last year. Strategic and security cooperation between the two countries have grown in recent years and they held their first naval exercise in August.
“Very useful exchange of views on Afghanistan, the Gulf and the Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar said in a tweet after the meeting. He added that he and Prince Faisal had discussed “cooperation in the political, security and socio-cultural pillars of our strategic partnership”.
India has urged the world community not to rush into recognising the Taliban setup in Kabul, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointing out last week that the new regime in Afghanistan is not inclusive and was formed without negotiations.
The discussions between the two ministers on Sunday will help shape the way forward on Afghanistan, including the issue of recognising the setup created by the Taliban after they took over the country on August 15.
{{/usCountry}}The discussions between the two ministers on Sunday will help shape the way forward on Afghanistan, including the issue of recognising the setup created by the Taliban after they took over the country on August 15.
{{/usCountry}}Prince Faisal had recently said Saudi Arabia hopes the Taliban’s interim cabinet will help Afghanistan to achieve stability and overcome violence and extremism. He also said that Saudi Arabia will support “the choices the Afghan people make regarding the future of their country, away from external interference”.
The external affairs ministry said in a statement that the two ministers also discussed all issues related to bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual interest. They reviewed the implementation of the Strategic Partnership Council Agreement signed by the two sides during Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia in October 2019.
“They expressed satisfaction at the meetings held under the Agreement and progress achieved. Both sides discussed further steps to strengthen their partnership in trade, investment, energy, defence, security, culture, consular issues, health care and human resources,” the statement said.
The ministers also discussed bilateral cooperation at multilateral forums such as the UN, G20 and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Jaishankar tweeted that he had urged Prince Faisal for the “early resumption of direct flights to Saudi Arabia”, and that the two sides had agreed to “work closely on all Covid-related challenges, including to travel”.
The external affairs ministry said Jaishankar had appreciated Saudi Arabia’s support for the Indian community during the pandemic and urged Saudi Arabia to further relax restrictions on travel from India.
In addition to being one of India’s largest energy suppliers, Saudi Arabia is home to 2.6 million Indians, the largest expatriate community in the kingdom and one of the biggest concentrations of expatriates in West Asia.
Last month, Saudi Arabia relaxed travel restrictions for Indians who have received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in the kingdom. Under new guidelines, Indians who travel to India after receiving both doses in Saudi Arabia will be able to directly return to the kingdom without having to quarantine in a third country. The move benefited Indians who work in Saudi Arabia and were stuck in the country because of strict travel restrictions.
Prince Faisal is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister on Monday before he departs for New York to participate in the UN General Assembly session.