Jeddah: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday arrived in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah for a two-day visit on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. PM Modi received a grand welcome at the Jeddah airport. He was welcomed with a 21-gun salute.
Notably, it is the first visit by an an Indian prime minister in 40 years to Jeddah. The Prime Minister and Mohammed Bin Salman will co-chair the second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council, established during the prime minister's 2019 visit to strengthen bilateral ties.
Visuals Of PM Modi Arriving At Jeddah Airport:
PM Modi In Jeddah:
Earlier in the day, as a special gesture, PM Modi's aircraft was escorted by F-15s of the Royal Saudi Air Force in Saudi airspace. This gesture is being seen as deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries.
The Prime Minister described the crown prince as "my brother".
India and Saudi Arabia are set to sign at least six memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on Tuesday during Modi's visit to Jeddah. The Prime Minister will also discuss issues relating to Hajj, including the quota for Indian pilgrims, during his meeting with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, in the evening, highly placed sources told PTI.
This will be PM Modi's third visit to the country, following earlier visits in 2016 and 2019. All other Prime Ministers before him together visited Saudi Arabia three times in seven decades. This also marks his 15th visit to a country in the Gulf region.
