Asharq Al-Awsat

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, has met at his residence in Buenos Aires Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss an array of issues, including military industry localization, the Saudi Press Agency reported Friday.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the political, security, economic, investment, agricultural, energy, cultural, and technological fields, SPA said.

They discussed investment opportunities in infrastructure through the Public Investment Fund, as well as the agriculture sector, it said.

On energy, they discussed the Kingdom’s willingness to supply India with all of its needs of oil and petroleum products, as well as Saudi Aramco’s investment in refineries in India, especially the large refinery on the western coast of India and in the field of crude oil storage, the state-run news agency reported.

They also discussed investment in solar energy through the Soft Bank Vision Fund and through the Saudi companies which will implement solar energy projects, it said.

Furthermore, the Crown Prince and Modi held discussions on strategies to localize the military industry, and cooperation in the field of military manufacturing in both countries.

During the meeting, they also reviewed the available opportunities to export Saudi non-oil products to India, and ways to develop bilateral trade through sustainable arrangements, especially in strategic commodities such as Saudi fertilizers as well as promoting the exchange of investment in the industrial sector, SPA said.

The Indian Prime Minister extended his invitation to the Kingdom to join the International Solar Alliance, which the Crown Prince accepted, it added.