After Defense Deal with UAE, India Holds Major Meeting with Saudi Arabia – Is Prince MBS Trying to Repair Ties?

Riyadh: Rapid developments are unfolding in Middle Eastern geopolitics. Recently, India signed a ‘Letter of Intent’ for a strategic partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Now, India and Saudi Arabia held a high-level meeting on January 28 to discuss defense cooperation, signaling Riyadh’s effort to rebuild confidence with India following its recent security agreement with Pakistan.

While India-Saudi relations have strengthened over the past few years, the India-UAE defense deal reportedly caused some concern in Riyadh. The senior officials from both countries met in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for a key session reviewing ongoing security cooperation and discussing threats posed by terrorist groups globally and regionally.

The meeting, the third of the joint Security Working Group, was co-chaired by India’s Joint Secretary (Counter-Terrorism) Vinod Bahade and Saudi Arabia’s Director General for Legal Affairs and International Cooperation at the Ministry of Interior, Ahmed Al-Eisa. According to a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs, both sides deliberated on strengthening cooperation to combat terrorism, tackling extremism, preventing terrorist financing, curbing the use of technology for terrorist purposes, and addressing links between international organized crime and terrorism.

Indian officials highlighted their condemnation of the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam in April last year and the November 10 attack at the Red Fort. Discussions also covered enhancing bilateral legal and judicial cooperation, as well as law enforcement collaboration.

Is Saudi Arabia Attempting ‘Damage Control’ in Ties with India?

Last year, Saudi Arabia signed a NATO-style security pact with Pakistan. The ongoing Yemen war has also strained Saudi-UAE relations. Earlier this month, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed made a surprise, brief visit to India, during which the Letter of Intent was signed. In this context, Saudi Arabia appears to be taking steps to rebuild trust with India, its key partner in South Asia.

Indian officials, however, maintain that the India-UAE strategic partnership is a natural extension of existing defense cooperation and will not drag New Delhi into any regional conflicts. India’s Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, stated on January 19 that the Letter of Intent reflects the evolution of pre-existing defense ties, rather than a response to any particular event or hypothetical future scenario in the region.

Overall, the geopolitical chessboard in the Middle East is shifting rapidly, with each country maneuvering carefully to protect its strategic interests.