PM Modi calls up Saudi Crown Prince, thanks him for ‘support’ in evacuation of Indians from Sudan

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a telephonic conversation during which they reviewed bilateral ties and discussed global issues of mutual interest, an official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated.

The two leaders spoke on Thursday during which Modi thanked the crown prince for his country's "excellent support" during the evacuation of Indians from Sudan in April, and also conveyed best wishes for the upcoming Haj pilgrimage.

India had set up a transit facility at Jeddah in April to evacuate Indians from strife-torn Sudan. Under its evacuation mission 'Operation Kaveri', India took the evacuees from Sudan to Jeddah, from where they returned home.

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Through ‘Operation Kaveri’, 3,862 people were moved out of Sudan. The Indian Air Force operated 17 flights and the Indian Navy ships carried out five sorties to move Indians from Port Sudan to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Modi speaks with Saudi Prince, thanks him for support during evacuation of Indians from Sudan

The two leaders also discussed ways to boost bilateral relations in connectivity, energy and defence.

“The leaders reviewed a number of issues of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on various multilateral and global issues of mutual interest,” the MEA readout said.

Saudi Prince to visit India

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as he is popularly known, “conveyed his full support” to India’s initiatives as part of its ongoing G20 presidency and said he looks forward to his visit to India for the G20 Summit in September.

The two leaders agreed to remain in touch, the statement said.

India holds the Presidency of the G20 from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023. The 43 Heads of Delegations, the largest ever in G20, will be participating in the final New Delhi Summit in September next year.

Saudi Arabia is one of the key partners of India in West Asia, especially in energy and security. The Gulf country is also home to 2.6 million Indians, one of the largest concentrations of expatriates in the region.

The crown prince made to cancel his visit to India in mid-November last year because of scheduling issues arising from the upcoming G20 Summit in Indonesia.

Prince Mohammed had last made a full-fledged trip to India in February 2019, which saw him announcing planned investments in energy, infrastructure, agriculture, mining and manufacturing potentially worth more than $100 billion.

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