Modi welcomes Saudi prince at Palam airport

NEW DELHI: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in India on Tuesday, a day after visiting Pakistan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi departing from protocol to personally receive him at Palam airport in New Delhi.

Modi embraced the prince as he emerged from his jet at around 9 pm, setting aside speculation in Delhi the Saudi leader could be accorded a low-key welcome over disquiet in sections of the government at certain references in the Saudi-Pakistan joint statement issued on Monday.

“India is delighted to welcome HRH Mohammed Bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,” Modi tweeted soon after.

The Indian leadership is expected to bring up Pakistanbacked terror in the wake of the February 14 suicide attack at Pulwama in Kashmir in interactions with the Saudi prince, popularly known as MBS.

Saudi deputy foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir had told a news conference in Islamabad on Monday that his country will try to “de-escalate tensions” between India and Pakistan, but officials in New Delhi brushed aside such suggestions by saying this is a bilateral matter.

Ahead of the prince’s arrival, official quarters in New Delhi had noted Riyadh’s support for Islamabad’s counter-terror efforts in the Saudi Arabia-Pakistan joint statement and a reference to “the need for avoiding politicisation” of the UN regime for listing terrorists. The statement also referred to the prince’s praise for Pakistani premier Imran Khan’s efforts for dialogue with India and opening the Kartarpur corridor. However, people familiar with developments said India’s relations with Saudi Arabia shouldn’t be compared with those of Pakistan. The two sides will work to deepen their strategic partnership on the back of growing security cooperation and intelligence-sharing on terrorism, they said. The two will set up a “Strategic Partnership Council” and there are plans for the first naval exercise this year.

INDIA IS EXPECTED TO RAISE PAKISTAN-BACKED TERROR WITH SAUDI PRINCE IN THE WAKE OF THE PULWAMA ATTACK