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Days aft signing a ‘Letter of Intent’ for a Strategic Defence Partnership with the United Arab Emirates, India connected Wednesday (January 28, 2026) held a information dialog with Saudi Arabia. Indian and Saudi elder officials met successful the Saudi superior Riyadh, wherever the 2 sides carried retired a ‘comprehensive reappraisal of ongoing information cooperation’ and discussed threats posed by violent groups globally and ‘in their respective regions’.
The 3rd India-Saudi Arabia Security Working Group was co-chaired by Vinod Bahade, Joint Secretary (Counter Terrorism) successful the Ministry of External Affairs, and Ahmed Al-Eissa, Director General of Legal Affairs and International Cooperation successful the Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia. “Both sides shared views connected enhancing practice successful existent and emerging challenges to counter-terrorism including countering extremism and radicalisation, combating financing of terrorism, preventing usage of exertion for violent purposes, nexus betwixt transnational organised crimes and terrorism,” the Ministry of External Affairs said successful a statement.
The officials besides condemned the violent onslaught successful Pahalgam of April 22, 2025, and the panic incidental connected November 10, 2025, adjacent the Red Fort. Both sides discussed measures to heighten bilateral ineligible and judicial practice and instrumentality enforcement cooperation, the MEA said.
Indian officials described the gathering of the Security Working Group arsenic ‘a bully model of ongoing cooperation’, emphasising that it is simply a continuing mechanics nether the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC). However, the dialog has drawn attraction arsenic it came days aft India and the UAE inked a ‘Letter of Intent’ for a Strategic Defence Partnership.
The UAE’s relations with Saudi Arabia person nosedived implicit the past respective months due to the fact that of diverging policies successful Yemen. Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE has taken immoderate ceremonial measures against each other, but the 2 neighbours person been exchanging beardown remarks lately implicit the concern successful Yemen arsenic good arsenic successful different parts of West Asia and North Africa specified arsenic Libya and Sudan. Saudi disapproval has mostly highlighted that the UAE has been trying to beforehand inimical forces successful areas linked to Saudi strategical interests.
Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are captious for India’s vigor information and investments, and are besides large overseas remittance generators arsenic they big a ample fig of Indian citizens moving determination arsenic expatriates.
Officials here, however, person said that the ‘Letter of Intent’ with the UAE volition not resistance India into a aboriginal struggle concern successful the Gulf. “So I would truly characterise it arsenic a earthy improvement from the already sizeable defence practice betwixt the 2 countries and not needfully a effect to immoderate circumstantial lawsuit that whitethorn person taken spot successful the portion oregon of immoderate intent to get progressive successful hypothetical aboriginal script successful the region,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, explaining the India-UAE Letter of Intent connected Strategic Defence Partnership connected January 19, erstwhile UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan paid a three-hour sojourn to Delhi during which the LoI was signed.
