As the war in Gaza rages on and drone and missile strikes disrupt Red Sea maritime traffic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, and the two leaders “agreed to work together for peace, security, and stability” in the West Asia region.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Modi said, “Held a good conversation with my Brother HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the future of Strategic Partnership between India and Saudi Arabia.” We discussed the situation in West Asia and presented our concerns about terrorism, violence, and the loss of civilian life. agreed to work together for global peace, security, and stability.”
The Prime Minister’s Office pointed out in a statement, “Prime Minister reiterated India’s long-standing and principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue and called for continued humanitarian aid for the affected population.”
“The two leaders agreed to work together for global peace, security, and stability.” They also highlighted the need to maintain maritime security and freedom of navigation,” the statement said.
According to the PMO, the leaders reviewed progress in bilateral Strategic Partnership as they prepared for the Crown Prince’s State Visit to India in September 2023, and they additionally discussed the future bilateral partnership agenda.
MbS, or the Crown Prince, was in India for the G20 Leaders’ Summit and was afterwards hosted for a day-long State visit.
According to the statement, during the phone discussion on Tuesday, the Prime Minister extended congratulations to Saudi Arabia on being chosen as the host country for Expo 2030 and the FIFA Football World Cup 2034. “The two leaders agreed to remain in touch,” the statement stated.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contacted Prime Minister Modi last week to update him on the latest developments in the continuing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto, which had 21 Indian crew members on board, was hit by a drone roughly 217 nautical miles off Porbandar last Saturday, prompting the Indian Navy and Coast Guard to send out a number of assets to help the ship.
In the southern Red Sea, a Gabonese-flagged commercial crude oil ship with 25 Indian crew members was also attacked.
Four warships, according to Navy officers, have been sent to fight piracy and attack drones on commerce ships. To combat the threats of piracy and drone strikes, P-8I planes, Dorniers, Sea Guardians, helicopters, and Coast Guard ships have been deployed in concert.
As Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen increased attacks on ships in the Red Sea, India said last week that it is “supportive of the free movement of commercial shipping.”
The Houthi terrorists, who control vast areas of Yemen after years of conflict, have started employing drones and missiles to attack international ships going through the Red Sea, claiming it is in retaliation to Israel’s assault on Gaza.
The attacks, which targeted a channel used for East-West traffic, particularly oil, led several shipping corporations to reroute vessels.