Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gets ceremonial welcome, holds talks with Modi

President Ram Nath Kovind gave Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday, ahead of his scheduled bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Crown Prince arrived in the capital on Tuesday night for a two-day visit.

The arrival

Prime Minister Modi was among the dignitaries who received him at the airport shortly before 9 pm and embraced him as he stepped off his aircraft. Modi later tweeted that India was delighted to welcome him. The foreign ministry described the trip, the Crown Prince’s first bilateral visit to India, as a new chapter in relations.

At Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Crown Prince said he wanted the relationship to be maintained and improved, and expressed confidence that much could be achieved for both countries under the leadership of the President and the Prime Minister.

Focus of the visit

Officials said the roughly 26 hours he would spend in Delhi would focus on strengthening the strategic partnership, and that the two sides were expected to sign five agreements covering investment, tourism, housing and broadcasting. The visit was also expected to send a strong message on terrorism.

Ties have grown since Modi’s visit to Riyadh in 2016, when the countries agreed to cooperate on intelligence relating to money laundering and terror financing. Since then, terror suspects such as Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Abu Sufyan and Indian Mujahideen member Zainul Abedin have been sent back to India.

The Pakistan leg

MBS ended his visit to Pakistan, the first stop on a tour that also includes China, the previous night. Rather than flying directly from Islamabad to Delhi, he returned to Saudi Arabia for a few hours and then made a 3,000 km journey back, a schedule officials saw as respecting India’s sensitivities. Officials said Delhi’s ties with Riyadh should not be compared with Islamabad’s, where investment deals worth $20 billion were signed to support Pakistan’s struggling economy.

See also: election news.

Originally published on 20 February 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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