Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia in the fourth week of April 2025, with a confirmed date of April 22 for his presence in Jeddah.

This visit marks his first to the kingdom in over four years and follows the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to India in September 2023, which had significantly boosted bilateral ties. Modi's trip aims to further strengthen the strategic partnership between India and Saudi Arabia, focusing on enhancing trade, energy cooperation, defence ties, and investment flows.

A key agenda item during Modi's visit is the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a major initiative launched in September 2023 to connect India with Europe via the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia playing a pivotal role due to its strategic geographic position. The Saudi segment of the corridor, particularly the railroad link, is the longest and yet to receive the necessary momentum. 

Discussions will prioritise accelerating this corridor to improve regional and global supply chain resilience, linking Indian ports such as Mundra, Kandla, and Jawaharlal Nehru with ports in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Trade relations have seen robust growth, with bilateral trade reaching approximately $43 billion in 2023-24. India is Saudi Arabia's second-largest trade partner, with exports from India growing by nearly 7.8% to around $12 billion. India also plays a crucial role in Saudi Arabia's food security, exporting rice worth about $1 billion annually.

The visit will provide an opportunity to review these economic ties and explore expanding Saudi investments in India, which have already reached around $3 billion across sectors such as construction, telecommunications, IT, pharmaceuticals, and financial services.

Energy cooperation remains a cornerstone of the relationship, with Saudi Arabia being a vital supplier of crude oil to India, accounting for about 18% of India's imports. The two countries are moving beyond a buyer-seller dynamic towards strategic partnerships involving Saudi investments in downstream oil and gas projects in India. Past agreements have included Saudi Aramco's participation in refinery and petrochemical projects on India's west coast and potential involvement in India's strategic petroleum reserves.

Defence and security cooperation will also be a major focus, with both nations enjoying extensive naval collaboration as maritime neighbors. The Strategic Partnership Council (SPC), co-chaired by Modi and the Crown Prince, established in 2019, continues to foster cooperation in defence, security, and capacity building.

The visit is expected to build on the momentum from the 2023 summit where eight memorandums of understanding were signed across energy, IT, anti-corruption, investment, and other sectors.

Regional security concerns, particularly the ongoing turmoil in West Asia including the Israel-Hamas conflict and instability in the Red Sea due to Houthi activities, will be discussed.

India seeks to engage with Saudi Arabia and other regional partners to restore stability and ensure secure maritime routes vital for trade and energy supplies. Modi's visit comes ahead of US President Joe Biden's planned visit to Saudi Arabia in mid-May, highlighting the strategic importance of the region in global geopolitics.

The Indian diaspora in Saudi Arabia, numbering around 2.6 to 2.7 million people, represents a significant cultural and social bridge between the two countries, and is expected to warmly welcome the Prime Minister during his visit.

PM Modi's visit to Saudi Arabia in April 2025 is set to deepen the multifaceted partnership between the two nations, with a strong emphasis on boosting trade, energy collaboration, defence ties, and advancing the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, all within the broader context of enhancing regional stability and economic integration.

Agencies