Saudi crown prince Al Saud backs India’s fight against terrorism
NEW DELHI : India and Saudi Arabia have agreed to cooperate further in the fight against terrorism and put pressure on those countries which are supporting terror to deal with its growing threat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said.
In his press statement after talks with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in New Delhi, Mr Modi said Pulwama terror attack shows that terrorism is a threat and is against humanity.
Mr Modi said, it is necessary that terrorism and its infrastructure is wiped out and those supporting it should be punished. He said Saudi Arabia is one of the most crucial strategic partners of India. Mr Modi said, India and Saudi Arabia have also agreed to cooperate on counter-terrorism, maritime and cybersecurity.
“The barbaric terror attack in Pulwama last week is a cruel symbol of the scourge spread over the world by this anti-humanitarian danger. In order to deal effectively with this threat, we agree that there is a need to increase all possible pressure on the countries supporting terrorism in any manner,” Modi says in a veiled warning to Pakistan over the Pulwama terror attack. “Saudi and India are on the same page when it comes to maintaining regional peace and stability. We are also sure that it will be beneficial for both nations to strengthen our cooperation on maritime security, cyber security and counter terrorism,” he further adds.
In his press statement, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said both countries can collaborate in several areas, including culture and agriculture. He said, his country will cooperate with India in its fight against terrorism. Earlier, India and Saudi Arabia signed five agreements in various areas, including tourism and housing. An MoU for Cooperation on Broadcasting between Prasar Bharati and Saudi Broadcasting Corporation was also inked to exchange Audio Visual Programme.
Tthe Crown Prince said that he wants the relationship between India and Saudi Arabia to be maintained and improved for the sake of both countries. He also expressed confidence that the leadership of the two countries can create good things for Saudi Arabia and India. In recent years, there has been significant progress in bilateral cooperation in key areas of mutual interest. The bilateral trade was 27.48 billion dollars during the last financial year 2017-18, making Saudi Arabia, India’s 4th largest trading partner. Saudi Arabia contributes significantly to India’s energy security needs by supplying about 20 per cent of crude oil requirements to India.
Identifying terrorism as a common concern for Saudi Arabia and India, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman has promised cooperation on all fronts, including intelligence-sharing, to combat terror. Delivering a joint press statement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the prince, or MBS as he is popularly known, said, “Extremism and terrorism are our common concerns.
We would like to tell our friend India that we’ll cooperate on all fronts, be it intelligence sharing. We’ll work with everyone to ensure a brighter future for our upcoming generations.prince Salman says, “Terrorism and extremism is a common concern . We want to tell India that we will cooperate with them on intelligence sharing…not just with India but with our neighbours as well. We thank India for the positive role in this.”
(With Agency Inputs ).
