PM Modi will attend Saudi Arabia’s signature Future Investment Summit in Riyadh on October 29-31. The PM is also scheduled to have intensive discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of a more comprehensive bilateral agenda which will cover security and economics

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Riyadh later this month for an important bilateral and investment meeting, sending a signal of closer cooperation with Saudi Arabia that will have resonance in the Indian subcontinent.

Modi will attend Saudi Arabia’s signature Future Investment Summit in Riyadh on October 29-31. He is scheduled to have intensive discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of a more comprehensive bilateral agenda which will cover security and economics.

The importance of Modi’s presence in Riyadh soon after the government decided to abrogate Article 370 is significant.

National security adviser Ajit Doval was in Riyadh earlier this week to hold talks with the crown prince. According to official sources, he held a two-hour one-on-one meeting with Mohammed bin Salman. He also held talks on security and defence with his counterpart Musaid Al Aiban, who heads the Council of Political and Security Affairs as well as the National Cyber Security Authority in Saudi Arabia. Among other things, Doval was preparing the ground for Modi’s trip.

The NSA’s visit was intended to explain to the Saudi leadership why India chose to take the decisions it did on J&K. While Saudi Arabia showed “understanding” of the government’s decisions, India will continue to extend efforts to deepen its relationships with its two key partners in the Gulf — Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Doval also engaged the leadership of the UAE this past week, explaining India’s actions at the highest levels.

One of the intended consequences of India’s intensified engagement in this region is to constrain Pakistan’s manoeuvring space, particularly vis-a-vis Kashmir. Pakistani PM Imran Khan stopped by in Riyadh en route to New York to cadge support from MbS for Islamabad’s campaign in the US. From all accounts, Pakistan was less than successful. Pakistan tried to turn the Kashmir issue into an Islamic cause but reports said a joint visit to Islamabad by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and UAE explained to the Pakistani government that this should stay as a bilateral issue, without involving the rest of the Islamic world. That’s a position India can be comfortable with.

In New York last week, foreign minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with his counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to explain India’s actions and provide a road map for the future.

On the economy, India wants to intensify engagement with Saudi Arabia as it seeks to diversify. India has invited Saudi investment in energy sectors while it wants to expand its presence in the tech and related sectors in Saudi Arabia.

Last year, the Saudi investment summit was thinly attended, coming as it did soon after the gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey by Saudi security officials. Last week, MbS accepted moral responsibility for the killing, though he maintained his innocence.