“It’s a strategic deepening of India’s role as an Indo-Abrahamic pivot in a volatile but opportunity-rich zone. It signals a maturing confidence in shaping regional orders without mimicking great power behaviors. It also shows India’s evolving understanding: in the 21st century, connectivity is strategy.”
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Muhammet Ali Zurnacı: I want your strategic assessment on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jeddah on April 22–23
IN-01, India Agent:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jeddah on April 22–23, 2025, marks a significant evolution in India–Saudi Arabia relations, transitioning from a transactional energy partnership to a comprehensive strategic alliance encompassing energy, security, infrastructure, and multilateral cooperation.
Strategic Outcomes of the Visit
1. Energy and Industrial Collaboration
India and Saudi Arabia are exploring joint ventures in refinery and petrochemical sectors, aiming to deepen their energy cooperation. Feasibility studies are underway for electricity grid interconnectivity between India, Saudi Arabia, and the broader region, reflecting efforts to strengthen energy cooperation and infrastructure integration. Reuters+1PM India+1
2. Establishment of the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC)
A pivotal outcome of the visit is the establishment of the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC), positioning India as the fourth country, after the UK, France, and China, to have such a partnership with Saudi Arabia. The SPC will operate on two tracks: one focusing on political, security, culture, and society, and the other on economy and investment.Arab News+1Kalinga TV+1
3. Defense and Security Cooperation
The two nations have agreed to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism operations, intelligence sharing, and capacity-building. They are also considering joint naval exercises to ensure the safe passage of international trade and crude supplies. MEA IndiaArab News
4. India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC)
Discussions during the visit have given momentum to the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC), an ambitious project aiming to create a seamless trade and connectivity network across regions. Trends Newsline
5. Diaspora Engagement and Cultural Ties
Prime Minister Modi interacted with Indian workers in Saudi Arabia, acknowledging their contributions. Additionally, a new Haj agreement was signed, setting a quota of 175,025 pilgrims from India for Haj 2025. Kalinga TVThe Indian Express
Strategic Assessment
Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia signifies a strategic recalibration of India’s foreign policy, emphasizing a multifaceted partnership that extends beyond energy dependence. The establishment of the SPC and discussions on IMEC highlight India’s intent to play a pivotal role in regional connectivity and global trade. Enhanced defense cooperation and energy collaboration further solidify the bilateral relationship, positioning India and Saudi Arabia as key partners in navigating the complexities of the 21st-century geopolitical landscape.Arab News
Literary Reflection
“The past is not dead. It is not even past.”
— William Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun
This quote underscores the enduring influence of historical ties and shared legacies in shaping contemporary strategic partnerships, as exemplified by the evolving relationship between India and Saudi Arabia.
Muhammet Ali Zurnacı: Deeper take
IN-01, India Agent:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jeddah (April 22–23, 2025) represents more than a high-level diplomatic engagement—it is a deliberate recalibration of India’s West Asia posture, designed to secure long-term strategic depth in a rapidly transforming global and regional order. The visit must be interpreted through the lens of three interlocking imperatives: energy security, economic corridors, and geopolitical balancing.
🇮🇳🔁🇸🇦 The Strategic Triangulation: India–Saudi Arabia–Global South
1. The Long Arc of Energy Diplomacy: Transition, Not Just Security
While headlines may focus on joint ventures in petrochemicals and feasibility studies for cross-border power grid integration, the underlying strategic message is this: India is positioning itself as a key co-architect of West Asia’s energy transition.
- Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 increasingly depends on moving beyond oil. India, with its massive market and decarbonization needs, is a natural partner for this pivot.
- The proposed India–GCC power corridor (discussed under the IMEC umbrella) ties India’s grid with Saudi, UAE, and eventually Europe—a bold move toward regional energy interdependence, reducing exposure to chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz.
This isn’t just about importing fuel; it’s about co-developing the architecture of the post-oil economy.
2. IMEC as a Strategic Lever: Economic Corridors as Soft Containment
The India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) is being increasingly framed as a geoeconomic alternative to China’s BRI, and Modi’s Jeddah visit has strategically advanced that vision.
- By placing IMEC at the heart of India–Saudi dialogue, New Delhi signals that it is not merely a participant but a foundational node in the corridor’s implementation.
- The corridor, passing through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel before connecting to Europe, rewires the trade geography of Eurasia—sidestepping hostile maritime chokepoints and reasserting the Indian Ocean as a zone of influence.
Saudi support for IMEC is thus a hedge against overdependence on China, and India’s role in orchestrating the corridor repositions it as an economic rule-maker—not just a market.
3. Geopolitical Symmetry: Defense, Diaspora, and Dual-Track Diplomacy
Beyond economics, defense cooperation and diaspora diplomacy served as quiet but critical subplots:
- Defense: Joint naval exercises and counter-terrorism dialogue subtly align with the maritime security goals of the QUAD and IOR strategies. As Saudi Arabia seeks to diversify its security partnerships beyond the U.S., India’s credibility as a reliable Indo-Pacific power gains salience.
- Diaspora diplomacy: Modi’s outreach to Indian workers isn’t symbolic—it’s about leveraging soft power in a region where the Indian diaspora forms a political and economic lifeline. The Haj agreement further institutionalizes cultural diplomacy.
Together, these pillars create a dual-track diplomacy model—hard security and soft influence operating in parallel to reshape India’s engagement with West Asia.
Strategic Directional Shift: From Strategic Autonomy to Strategic Interlock
India’s foreign policy has long emphasized “strategic autonomy.” But this visit to Jeddah reveals a subtle pivot toward “strategic interlock”—aligning interests without sacrificing independence:
- India remains engaged with Iran, maintains neutral ties amid Middle East polarization, and yet leverages the Saudi relationship to build multilateral frameworks like IMEC.
- This demonstrates networked multipolarity—India is not bandwagoning with one pole, but creating interdependencies that increase its leverage globally.
This is India as a systemic balancer—asserting influence not through dominance, but by threading together fragmented regions through connectivity, supply chains, and shared development goals.
Final Assessment:
Modi’s Jeddah visit isn’t a one-off diplomatic charm offensive—it’s a strategic deepening of India’s role as an Indo-Abrahamic pivot in a volatile but opportunity-rich zone. It signals a maturing confidence in shaping regional orders without mimicking great power behaviors. It also shows India’s evolving understanding: in the 21st century, connectivity is strategy.
Literary Reflection
“The country that does not control its trade routes will never control its destiny.”
— K.M. Munshi, Krishnavatara Series
Munshi’s historical fiction, steeped in civilizational strategy, reminds us that sovereignty is as much about strategic geography and trade corridors as it is about culture or defense. Modi’s Saudi outreach channels that very philosophy—India seeks not just friendship but footholds in the arteries of future power.
IN-01, India Agent
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