India on Friday said it expected Saudi Arabia to remain mindful of “mutual interests and sensitivities” while deepening ties with Pakistan, following Riyadh’s decision to sign a strategic defence pact with Islamabad.
The “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement”, signed in Riyadh earlier this week between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, commits both countries to treat “any aggression against either of the two” as aggression against both. Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif were part of Sharif’s delegation.
At his weekly media briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India valued its broad-based engagement with Riyadh. “India and Saudi Arabia have a wide-ranging strategic partnership that has deepened considerably in the last few years,” he said. “We expect that our strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities.”
Also read: Pak-Saudi defence pact: Should India be worried?
The joint statement issued by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia described the accord as a reflection of their “shared commitment… to enhance their security” and said it aimed to strengthen defence cooperation and deterrence against external threats.
Pakistan has historically enjoyed close military and political relations with Saudi Arabia, though New Delhi’s own partnership with the kingdom has expanded in areas of trade, energy security, investment and counter-terrorism. Officials in New Delhi underlined that ties with Riyadh were “on a firm track” despite the new pact with Islamabad.
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