BREAKING NEWS

Indian PM Modi arrives in Saudi Arabia on bilateral visit

By REUTERS

APRIL 2, 2016 16:35

Updated: APRIL 2, 2016 16:36

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday on the last leg of his three-nation visit.

Modi was received by Governor of Riyadh Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, who held informal talks with him.

He was then escorted to Al Saud Palace where he would be staying during his two-day visit to the Gulf country.

Modi is the fourth Indian PM to visit Saudi Arabia after Manmohan Singh in 2010, Indira Gandhi in 1982 and Jawaharlal Nehru in 1956.

Until now, India's relationship with Saudi Arabia has been driven primarily by trade and the Indian diaspora in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is India's top energy supplier and home to more than 3.5 million Indian expatriates.

Over the past few years, there has been some cooperation on security between the two countries, with Riyadh deporting four most wanted fugitives to India.

Modi will look to broaden those ties, with one foreign ministry official saying healthcare, education, religious tourism and labour reforms would also be key talking points.

Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on Sunday on issues including ways to step up existing counter-terrorism mechanisms.

Earlier, Modi visited Belgium and the USA where he attended the 13th India-EU summit and Nuclear Security Summit respectively.

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