Saudi Arabia and India share a long history of bilateral ties, built upon shared values, culture and strong people-to-people links. More than three million Indians live in Saudi Arabia, forming the largest expatriate community in the Kingdom.
The two countries have further strengthened these ties by fostering an environment for political, economic, security, defense and manpower exchanges.
The timeline below captures a few of the multiple exchanges between the leadership of the two countries:
2019
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi's visit to Riyadh in October 2019
On October 29, 2019, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi visited Riyadh. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud held meetings with the Indian Prime Minister. The visit also witnessed signing of the Strategic Partnership Council Agreement including 12 MoUs and Agreements in the sectors of security, economic growth and more.
2019
On the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al-Saud held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi
On the sidelines of the G20 Leaders Summit in Osaka, Japan on June 28, 2019, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud held a meeting with Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi. They discussed ways to strengthen the friendly bilateral relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India.
2019
The first State Visit of HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to India on February 19, 2019
HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al-Saud met with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and discussed avenues to continue working on strengthening the distinctive bilateral cooperation between the two friendly countries in all fields. They witnessed the signing of 6 MoUs and agreements between Saudi Arabia and India. HRH Crown Prince was welcomed by the President and Prime Minister of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the office and residence of the President of India in New Delhi with an official reception ceremony.
2018
HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud met with Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud met with Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina in November, 2018.
During their meeting, they discussed multiple aspects of Saudi-India relations and ways to further boost the economic, cultural and energy ties between the two friendly countries.
2016
On the sidelines of the G20 Hangzhou Summit, HRH Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud (now Crown Prince) held a bilateral meeting with Indian PM Narendra Modi.
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Saudi Deputy Crown Prince (now Crown Prince) Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, met in the Chinese city of Hangzhou with the Prime Minister of Republic of India, Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
During the meeting, they discussed the opportunities of bilateral cooperation and ways of enhancing them in various fields.
2016
The visit of Indian PM Narendra Modi to Riyadh.
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In a special gesture, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al- Saud honoured Indian PM Narendra Modi with the 'Sash of King Abdulaziz', the highest civilian honour awarded by the Kingdom. Five agreements and MoUs were signed between the two countries. A Joint Statement highlighting the various aspects of India-Saudi Arabia relations was also issued.
2015
On the sidelines of the G20 Antalya meeting, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud met Indian PM Narendra Modi.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Head of the Kingdom's delegation to the G20 Summit, met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Summit held in Antalya, Turkey.
During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations and aspects of cooperation between the two countries, in addition to a number of topics on the agenda of the Summit.
2014
The visit of HRH Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Deputy PM and Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia (now King) to India.
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During the visit of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud (now King), Saudi Arabia and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation to elevate their strategic partnership further in areas of security.
2010
Indian PM Dr. Manmohan Singh visited Saudi Arabia.
During Dr. Singh's visit, Saudi Arabia and India signed several MoUs and agreements. The landmark "Riyadh Declaration" was also signed which further deepened bilateral cooperation in all fields.
2006
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al -Saud visited India as the Chief Guest of the 57th Republic Day.
The King was accompanied by a high-level delegation including a business delegation of 68 prominent businessmen.
In course of the visit, Saudi Arabia and India signed three agreements and several Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) including one on Combating Crime. The "Delhi Declaration" was signed among other MoUs between the two countries during the visit.
1982
Indian PM Indira Gandhi visited Saudi Arabia.
Indian PM Indira Gandhi's official trip to Saudi Arabia further strengthened the bilateral ties between Saudi Arabia and India.
1956
Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru visited Saudi Arabia.
Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru was not only welcomed with warmth but also given the unique honour and privilege of addressing a public gathering in a stadium in Jeddah, a distinction which has not been accorded to any other visiting leader.
1955
King Saud visited India.
King Saud bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud paid a 17-day long visit to India. During the visit, the King toured several Indian cities where they received unprecedented welcome and hospitality from the Indian people. While in New Delhi, the King held talks with PM Jawaharlal Nehru and other Indian leaders on various issues of mutual concern.
1955
Saudi Crown Prince Faisal bin Abdul Aziz visited Delhi to meet Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru.
HRH Crown Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz, who was also the PM and Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, arrived in New Delhi to lay the foundation of bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and India in modern times. Crown Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz's talks with PM Jawaharlal Nehru paved the way for elevating the bilateral relations to higher levels.
1954
Ties between Saudi Arabia and India upgraded fully.
India's relationship with Saudi Arabia has flourished since 1947, the year India got independence. By 1954 ties between the two nations had been fully upgraded.
1948
Diplomatic Relations between Saudi Arabia and India formally established.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and India have existed since the establishment of the Kingdom, but the Saudi-Indo diplomatic relations were formally established in 1948 after India's Independence.
1932
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru praised Saudi King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud's statesmanship in unifying the Arab peninsula to establish the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In 1932, when King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud unified and established the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was full of praise for the King for his courage and statesmanship.
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