Jeddah, April 22 (NationPress) Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted with a warm welcome at the Jeddah airport on Tuesday afternoon, marking the start of his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia. This visit is his third to the Kingdom, following his trips in 2016 and 2019, at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

As a special honor for PM Modi's State Visit, his aircraft was accompanied by the Royal Saudi Air Force as it entered Saudi airspace.

The April 22-23 visit comes after the State Visit of Prince Mohammed bin Salman to New Delhi in September 2023 for the G20 Summit and to co-chair the inaugural meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council.

In his departure statement, PM Modi stressed that India highly values its long-standing and historic relationship with Saudi Arabia, which has gained strategic depth and momentum in recent years.

"Together, we have cultivated a mutually beneficial and substantive partnership across defense, trade, investment, energy, and people-to-people ties. We share a common interest and commitment to fostering regional peace, prosperity, security, and stability," he stated.

This visit marks Prime Minister Modi's first trip to the historic city of Jeddah, where the second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) will take place. The SPC was initiated during PM Modi's previous State visit to Saudi Arabia in October 2019 to advance the bilateral relationship.

In the evening, Indian time, PM Modi will engage with members of the Indian community, underscoring his commitment to the welfare of Indians abroad.

"I look forward to connecting with the vibrant Indian community in Saudi Arabia, which acts as a living bridge between our nations and significantly contributes to strengthening cultural and human ties," PM Modi remarked in his departure statement.

The Indian community in Saudi Arabia numbers approximately 2.7 million and serves as a vital link between the two countries. The contributions of the Indian diaspora to Saudi Arabia's economic development are widely acknowledged, with the number of Indians steadily increasing. Over the past year, around 100,000 Indians have arrived in Saudi Arabia for employment.

The India-Saudi Arabia partnership has seen significant growth over the last decade, particularly following PM Modi's landmark visit to Riyadh in April 2016, which led to enhanced comprehensive cooperation in political, economic, security, and defense matters. During that visit, King Salman awarded PM Modi the Kingdom's highest civilian honor, the 'King Abdulaziz Sash'.

The SPC, established in 2019, has two main pillars - the Political-Security-Socio-Cultural (PSSC) and Economic and Investment. The External Affairs Minister and the Saudi Foreign Minister co-chair the PSSC, while the economic pillar is co-chaired by India's Commerce and Industry Minister and the Saudi Energy Minister.

Eight Joint Working Groups (JWGs) and sub-committees under the two pillars hold regular official-level meetings.

The inaugural Summit of the SPC took place in New Delhi in September 2023, co-chaired by PM Modi and visiting Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Since the beginning of 2024, there have been 11 ministerial-level visits between both nations. The Saudi Foreign Minister and Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources visited India in November 2024 and February 2025, respectively.

Riyadh is also the base of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and India has maintained good relations with the GCC Secretariat, engaging in regular dialogues at the official level. In September 2024, EAM S. Jaishankar visited Riyadh to co-chair the first India-GCC Ministerial Meeting.

Economically, Saudi Arabia is India's fifth largest trade partner, while India ranks as Saudi Arabia’s second largest trade partner. For the Financial Year 2023-24, India's imports from Saudi Arabia reached US $31.42 billion, with exports valued at US $11.56 billion.

Saudi Arabia remains India's third largest source for crude and petroleum products in FY 2023-24, with India importing 33.35 MMT of crude oil, accounting for 14.3 percent of India's total crude oil imports. In FY 2023-24, Saudi Arabia was also the third largest LPG supplier to India, making up 18.2 percent of India's total LPG imports for that year. Additionally, Saudi Arabia is a key supplier of fertilizers, particularly as the second largest source of DAP for India.

The annual Haj pilgrimage and Umrah are also significant components of India-Saudi relations, with India's Haj quota set at 175,025 pilgrims.