India and Saudi Arabia have a long history of cordial and friendly relations, characterized by economic and socio-cultural ties that span centuries. The diplomatic relations between the two nations were established in 1947, and since then, there have been high-level visits from both sides to further strengthen the bilateral relationship.

Notable visits include King Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s 17-day trip to India in November-December 1955 and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit to the Kingdom in September 1956. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s visit to Saudi Arabia in April 1982 played a significant role in consolidating the bilateral relations

The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Riyadh in April 2016 marked enhanced cooperation in political, economic, security, and defense realms. King Salman conferred the Kingdom’s highest civilian honor on Prime Minister Modi during the visit, signifying the importance Saudi Arabia attached to its relations with India. Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s visit to India in February 2019 continued to advance the momentum, with the announcement of approximately US$100 billion in Saudi investments in India and the signing of several agreements in various fields.

In October 2019, Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Riyadh led to the establishment of the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) Agreement, which created a high-level council to steer the Indo-Saudi relationship. Several MoUs and agreements were signed during this visit, covering energy, security, defense production, civil aviation, and other areas.

The Strategic Partnership Council has two sub-committees: one focused on political, security, social, and cultural cooperation, and the other on economy and investments. Each sub-committee has four functional levels of engagement: summit level, ministerial-level, senior officials’ meetings, and joint working groups (JWGs). JWGs have been formed under each sub-committee to address specific areas of cooperation

Economically, Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth-largest trading partner, with a significant portion of India’s crude oil imports sourced from the Kingdom. Bilateral trade between India and Saudi Arabia during FY22 (Apr-Dec) was valued at US$29.28 billion, with India importing US$22.65 billion worth of goods from Saudi Arabia and exporting US$6.63 billion worth of goods to the Kingdom during this period.