India and Saudi Arabia have vowed to expand defence cooperation, including increasing the scope of joint training exercises, technology transfer and exchange of expertise, according to an Indian defence ministry statement on Wednesday.
The statement was issued after talks between India's Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Ajay Bhatt and Saudi Arabia's Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on the sidelines of the World Defence Show (WDS) 2024 in Riyadh on Tuesday. Bhatt is leading the Indian delegation to the five-day World Defence Show, which concludes on Thursday.
Bhatt also held consultations with Ahmad Abdulaziz Al-Ohali, Governor of Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), it said.
“Both sides in all discussions shared a deep understanding of the evolving security landscape and resolved to increase bilateral defence cooperation in multifarious sectors while also recognising the mutual benefits of a strong partnership in safeguarding regional security,” the Indian defence ministry statement said after the meetings.
Bhatt expressed confidence that the defence partnership between India and Saudi Arabia would continue to grow from "strength-to-strength" to contribute to regional stability and global security, according to the official statement.
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The Indian Defence Ministry said that New Delhi's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) policy and Riyadh's 'Vision 2030' would play a significant role in boosting technological exchanges between the two nations.
“As highlighted by both sides, there is an immense potential for collaboration in these areas particularly in co-development and joint production of defence technologies,” according to New Delhi.