Considering it is the first visit in half-a-century, the visit of the King of Saudi Arabia is historic in more ways than one. India’s decision to invite King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz al Saud as chief guest for its Republic Day function may appear odd, but the Saudi monarchy must be seen in the context of a new era and our national interests. Not only is he, to refer to his formal title, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, but he’s also the Head of State of the biggest oil exporting country in the world. It is well-known, but it bears repeating: Saudi Arabia is the source of a quarter of the oil we import, as well as the place where 1.6 million Indians find gainful employment. The desert kingdom, with whom India has ties going back to antiquity, houses the primary religious shrines revered by 150 million Indian Muslims. King Abdullah’s visit seeks to restructure relations between the two countries in terms of today’s needs, and those of the future.
The outline of this new strategic partnership is in the Delhi agreement signed by the two countries, and the first one anywhere by a Saudi monarch personally. It commits the two countries to combat terrorism, diversify trade and investments, develop a strategic energy partnership based on ‘complementarity and interdependence’. A set of supporting agreements on combating crime, double taxation and investment protection are aimed at fleshing out these goals. Separately, in a signal to Pakistan, the Saudi King has called on Islamabad to propose that India be granted observer status in the Organisation of Islamic Conference.
There is great value in the Saudi-Indian coordination in combating terrorism because the Saudi peninsula is a source of unofficial funds, as well as a center for coordinating terrorist actions against India. But the bedrock of relationship must be the future and not the past and this means in the area of trade and commerce. Saudi Arabia is no longer a desert kingdom with wandering Bedouins and oil wells. It is a highly urbanized society with a sophisticated financial system and a vast and growing hoard of cash that is seeking investment opportunities and partnerships. In other words, it spells opportunity with a capital ‘O’.
