Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Mohammad bin Salman is expected to visit India in mid-November while on his way to the G20 summit in Indonesia’s Bali.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who visited Riyadh in September for bilateral talks, had conveyed Mr. Modi’s invitation to Mr. Salman, asking him to visit at an “early date”. Sources say the visit of the Saudi leader could cast doubt over Mr. Modi’s attendance at meetings with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the 18-member East Asian Summit (EAS) leaders meeting in Cambodia around the same time.
During their meeting, PM Salman and PM Modi are expected to exchange views on the present energy security scenario due to the Russian war in Ukraine, and the western coalition sanctions that neither Indianor the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has joined. The visit has geopolitical significance given U.S.-Saudi tensions over oil production cuts by the OPEC+ grouping that includes Russia, after which U.S. President Joseph Biden, who will also be in Bali, had warned of “consequences” for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
ThEagle News 