In a first, the Commander of the Royal Saudi Land Forces, Lieutenant General Fahd Bin Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mutair, arrived in India on Monday on a three-day visit.

This is the first ever visit by a serving Royal Saudi Land Forces Commander to India and marks a deepening bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries. General MM Naravane had visited Saudi Arabia in December 2020 in a historic visit which marked the first time that an Indian Army Chief had visited Saudi Arabia. The aim of the visit is to bolster bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries.

Lieutenant General Fahd Bin Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mutair was received by General MM Naravane, Chief of the Army Staff of Indian Army on 15 February 2022 at South Block where he was accorded a Ceremonial Guard of Honour. He met the COAS for significant bilateral discussions and was briefed on security aspects.

Notably, the Army Design Bureau made a presentation to Lt Gen Mutair on the rapid strides made by the Indian defence industry and induction of in-service equipment by the Indian Army.

They also highlighted the initiatives of the Indian government to facilitate Ease of Doing Business, including the contribution of start-ups.

“The relationship between India and Saudi Arabia has grown owing to common interests in economic prosperity, eliminating the scourge of terrorism and mitigating the effects of climate change. Defence diplomacy forms one of the major tenets of the overall relationship,” a statement from the defence ministry said.

Image courtesy: Indian Defence Ministry