India-Saudi Arabia Defense Partnership: Enhancing Strategic Cooperation

The tie between India and Saudi Arabia has transformed into extensive strategic cooperation in economic, energy and defence sectors. Now, with Saudi Vision 2030 and India’s Make in India moving in parallel, both are ready to use the other for self-sufficiency as well as global hegemony. Areas that need a boost in cooperation include defense ties, trade relations and cooperation in the fields of emerging technologies that include, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. Besides, the issue of the huge community of Indians in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a big role to play in boosting bilateral relations. With enhanced cooperation of this type, India and Saudi Arabia may promote improved stability in the region and contribute to new trends in the world’s economy and security trends.

India Saudi Arabia Defence Partnership

Shared Goals: Synchronisation of Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 which targets at 50 % indigenization of weapon systems with India’s Make in India programme.

Key Deals:

• It’s known that Saudi Arabia has purchased munitions for $250 million with Munitions India Limited company.

• Purchased 155mm ATAGS’s from the Indian-based company Bharat Forge.

Joint Exercises:

• Sada Tanseeq: The first exercise of the First Army will be in January 2024.

• Tarang Shakti: Saudi witnessed Indian biggest air maneuvers.

• Al Mohed Al Hindi: Naval drills was launched in 2022 of the calendar year.

India-Saudi Relations

• Political Ties:

• Established in 1947.

• Promoted to a strategic partnership by the Riyadh Declaration (2010) and the SPC Agreement (2019), to be specific.

Economic Ties:

• Bilateral trade: $43.3 billion (2023-24).

• Saudi investments in India: $3.15 billion (2022).

• India’s energy imports: 16.7% of crude oil and 11.2% of petroleum products (FY23).

• Diaspora: Around 2.6 million Indians live in Saudi Arabia.

Conclusion

The relations between India and Saudi Arabia have blossomed into a strategic partnership based on economic, energy, and defense. Because of this compatibility of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the India Make in India strategy, both of these countries are ready to use analytical strength to seek self-sufficiency and influence. In the interest of future cooperation, there is a need to enhance an aspect of defence cooperation, trade relations, and innovation of other areas such as the use of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Besides, there is a strong and extensive business and social connectors in the form of large Indian expatriate community in Saudi Arabia. Thus, India and Saudi Arabia can work towards stability and growth for both countries and the region, and, therefore, toward carving out a future foreign policy in the service of both states’ economic and strategic interests in the international system.