Modi Saudi Arabia Visit Live Updates: PM Modi receives 21-gun salute welcome in Jeddah

Prime Minister Narendra Modi opted to cut short his two-day Saudi Arabia visit on Tuesday, following a terrorist incident in Jammu and Kashmir that resulted in 26 fatalities, predominantly tourists.

According to government officials, the Prime Minister cancelled his attendance at the official dinner arranged by Saudi Arabia and decided to shorten his stay.

The officials confirmed that PM Modi would return to India on Tuesday night, rather than the initially scheduled departure on Wednesday.

On his Wednesday visit, the prime minister, recipient of Saudi Arabia's highest civilian honour in 2016, will tour a facility where Indian nationals are employed.

PM Modi plans to meet with the dynamic Indian community in Saudi Arabia, which acts as a crucial connection between both countries, contributing significantly to strengthening cultural and interpersonal relationships.

Saudi Arabia hosts 2.7 million Indians who reside and work in the country.

Speaking to Arab News before his Jeddah visit, PM Modi characterised Saudi Arabia as "one of India's most valued partners, a maritime neighbour, a trusted friend and a strategic ally".

"We consider Saudi Arabia a force of positivity and stability in the region. As maritime neighbours, India and Saudi Arabia share a natural interest in safeguarding peace and stability in the region," he said.

India and Saudi Arabia will finalise at least six memoranda of understanding (MoUs) during Modi's Jeddah visit.

According to senior sources who spoke to PTI, PM Modi will address Hajj-related matters, including Indian pilgrim quotas, in his evening meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.

The anticipated agreements between both nations will encompass various sectors including space, energy, health, science and scientific research, culture and advanced technology.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Jeddah for a two-day visit on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This is prime minister's third visit to the country and the first one to the historic coastal city of Jeddah.

"Landed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This visit will strengthen the friendship between India and Saudi Arabia. Eager to take part in the various programmes today and tomorrow," Modi posted on X along with pictures.

Modi and the Crown Prince will co-chair the second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council, established during the prime minister's 2019 visit to strengthen bilateral ties.

As a special gesture, the Prime Minister's aircraft was escorted by F-15s of the Royal Saudi Air Force in Saudi airspace.

The gesture is being seen as deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries.

Modi described the crown prince as "my brother".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in Jeddah for his two-day State visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During his visit to Saudi Arabia, PM Modi will jointly preside over the second Leaders' Meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council alongside His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who serves as both Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.

Members of the Indian diaspora gathered at a hotel in Jeddah and sang 'Saare Jahan Se Achha' as they waited for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival.

Many said they were happy and proud to welcome him during his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia on April 22-23. People thanked the Saudi leadership for inviting PM Modi.

One of the members of the Indian diaspora told ANI, "I am very excited to see PM Modi here. We are so grateful that we got this opportunity."

Another member said, "We are so excited to be here. We thank the Crown Prince for inviting PM Modi here. Seeing all the vibrant colours here, the positive energy around us, we are all very excited..."

"We are proud to be an Indian in Saudi Arabia. We have come here to welcome PM Modi here. It feels as if a member of our family is visiting us," another member of the indian diaspora told ANI.

On PM Modi's visit to Saudi Arabia, Engineer Hani Kayal, Saudi Businessman and senior consultant, says, "India is the kitchen of start-ups and we are very excited to localise some of the idea that applies in India and Saudi. We have a huge collaboration in the technology field. The future is there."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed Saudi Arabia and described the Kingdom as “a trusted friend, strategic ally and one of the most valued partners for India."

PM Modi also said that the partnership between India and Saudi Arabia has "limitless potential,” Modi said in an exclusive interview with Arab News ahead of his visit to the Kingdom. PM Modi is all set to begin a landmark two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

It is notably, his third visit to the Kingdom since 2016. In the interview, he also praised Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman’s leadership, calling him “a strong advocate of our bilateral ties” and a visionary who has inspired global admiration through the reforms under Vision 2030.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Jeddah today for a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia, marking his first-ever visit to the Kingdom’s commercial capital. Invited by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, this trip will be PM Modi’s third to the Kingdom after earlier visits in 2016 and 2019. It comes as part of the ongoing high-level diplomatic engagements between the two nations, following the Crown Prince’s own state visit to New Delhi for the G20 Summit in September 2023.

PM Modi and the Crown Prince are set to co-chair the second meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council during the visit. According to Indian Ambassador Suhel Ajaz Khan, a large number of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed, with key discussions centred on strengthening economic ties, bolstering defence cooperation and addressing regional political challenges.

The Indian community in Jeddah is buzzing with excitement as preparations are underway to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the city. The community is gearing up for a traditional and vibrant welcome for the Prime Minister.

Speaking to ANI, Pushpa Suresh, a member of the Good Hope Arts Academy, expressed her excitement, saying, "It is a big day for us as our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi ji, is coming here."

"Jeddah is called a sacred city as it is close to Mecca. We will welcome the PM with a glimpse of a traditional dance," she added.

Highlighting the support from the Indian embassy, she affirmed, "Good Hope Arts Academy is the first government-registered arts academy in Saudi Arabia. We got full support from the Indian embassy here. Many Indian children and those from other countries want to learn Indian dance forms. I have been teaching dance in Jeddah for the last 35 years."

Further, Samriti, another member of the Indian diaspora, who will be part of the dance troupe welcoming Prime Minister Modi, expressed her excitement, saying, "We are really excited."

The Indian community is preparing for cultural performances ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Saudi Arabia from April 22 to 23, 2025, at the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.

Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Suhel Ajaz Khan on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, will chair the meeting of Strategic Partnership Council during his visit to Jeddah.

Speaking with ANI, the Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia informed that a "large" number of MoUs will be signed, and the economic, defence partnership, and political relations between both countries will also be discussed during the PM's "hugely significant" visit from April 22 to April 23.

"There is a strategic partnership council between India and Saudi Arabia. So, both the leaders, the Honourable Prime Minister and His Royal Highness Crown Prince, are going to chair the Strategic Partnership Council meeting. A large number of MoUs are being finalised and will be signed in exchange during the visit, and a host of other issues on economic partnership, defence partnership on our way, all these things will be discussed. It's a hugely significant visit," Khan told ANI.

Speaking about India's defence cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Suhel Ajaz Khan noted that the partnership between both countries is "very strong" while mentioning various naval and land exercises and assured that the partnership will get "impetus"

Our defence and security partnership is very strong, and we have a bilateral defence cooperation MoU of 2014, and under this various activities are taking place and as you know, in the last few years we all organised the naval exercises, we organised the land forces exercises, and we are looking at another edition of the naval exercises shortly. Definitely, the defence cooperation will be a part of the agenda, and I expect that our defence partnership will certainly get impetus during this visit." Khan told ANI.

India-Saudi Arabia high-level task force on investments held its meeting in Riyadh on Monday, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jeddah from April 22 to April 23.

According to the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia, the meeting was co-chaired by PK Mishra, the Principal Secretary to the PM, and Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy.

"India-Saudi High Level Task Force on Investments held its meeting in Riyadh on April 21. The meeting co-chaired by Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to Hon'ble PM & HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Energy, discussed wide-ranging issues of mutual importance," the Indian Embassy wrote on X.

Noting the meeting, Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Suhel Ajaz Khan said that economic partnership is one of the "fulcrums" of the relationship between the two countries, and a lot of emphasis has been given to it.

"There was a high-level task force meeting on investment, which met in Riyadh, and this is a task force that was formed after the 2023 visit of the Crown Prince to India. It is chaired by the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, on the Indian side, and His Royal Highness Minister of Energy on the southeast side. They met in Riyadh today, and they went over a lot of issues of mutual interest in terms of facilitating the investment. So definitely, economic partnership is one of the fulcrums of our relationship, and a lot of emphasis has been given to it," Suhel Ajaz Khan told ANI.

India and Saudi Arabia are set to sign at least six memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on Tuesday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jeddah, with talks ongoing late Monday to finalise a few more agreements, according to sources. Highly placed sources told PTI that Modi will also discuss issues relating to Hajj including the quota for Indian pilgrims during his meeting with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in the evening.

Among the deliverables, the two sides are expected to sign agreements in the fields of space, energy, health, science and scientific research, culture and advanced technology.

"Meetings in Riyadh continued late Monday to finalise details, with over a dozen MoUs under discussion, some to be signed at the official level," an official told PTI.

Sources added that efforts were underway 24 hours before Modi's arrival to conclude additional trade, investment, and defence agreements.