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Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. Photo: EPA

Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman agrees to work with India to increase ‘pressure’ on nations that fuel terrorism

  • Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said “terrorism and extremism is a common concern for India and Saudi Arabia”
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Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Indian leader Narendra Modi vowed Wednesday to increase pressure on countries that fuel terrorism.
The promise came as fallout from a suicide bomb attack that India has blamed on Pakistan overshadowed the latest leg of the crown prince’s tour aiming to boost his country’s image.
Modi did not mention Pakistan – a key Saudi ally – as he again blasted the “barbaric attack” in Kashmir last week that left at least 40 paramilitaries dead.

“To tackle this menace effectively, we agreed that there is a need to increase all possible pressure on countries supporting terrorism in any way,” Modi said after talks with the crown prince. “It is extremely important to eliminate the terror infrastructure and stop support to terrorists and their supporters.”

‘Mastermind’ of Kashmir suicide attack killed, says Indian army

Prince Mohammed, who arrived in Delhi from Pakistan where he had offered to help the neighbours ease tensions, responded that “terrorism and extremism is a common concern for India and Saudi Arabia”.

The prince, whose country accuses Iran of backing militant strikes, said: “I want to state that we are ready to cooperate with India in every way, including through intelligence sharing.”

India and all “neighbouring countries must work together”, he added.

Modi has faced increasing pressure to take action over the Kashmir attack claimed by Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Islamabad, which banned JeM in 2002, has denied any role.

India’s army said on Tuesday it had killed the “mastermind” the attack in a gun battle at a suspected militant hideout that lasted much of Monday.

The crown prince, on his first major tour since the storm erupted over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October, announced US$20 billion of investments in Pakistan.

The Saudi delegation had wanted the Delhi leg of the crown prince tour to be devoted to bolstering its oil supplies to India.

Saudi Arabia is one of India’s key crude suppliers, along with Iran and Iraq.

Since taking office in 2014, Modi has sought to attract Saudi investment in trade, infrastructure and defence. Two-way trade was worth US$27.5 billion last year. Saudi Arabia wants to invest more, officials said.

What are India’s options to respond to attacks blamed on Pakistan?

“Economic power is shifting from West to East and India will be (the) second-largest economy ahead of the United States, which is a big opportunity for us,” Amin Nasser, chief executive of Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil company, told a Delhi investment conference on Wednesday.

Aramco signed an accord in April last year with Indian investors on a US$44-billion petrochemical project in western India. Nasser, a member of the crown prince’s delegation, said his firm was in talks with other Indian firms as well.

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Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia has invested nearly US$44 billion dollars in India since Modi’s visit to his country in 2016.

“We plan to diversify our investments in petrochemicals and other sectors,” he said.

Prince Mohammed was expected to go on to China on Wednesday.

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