India Saudi Arabia Joint Military Exercise- Sada Tanseeq

Maiden India-Saudi Arabia JOINT MILITARY Exercise

• Recently, the India Saudi Arabia joint military exercise ‘Sada Tanseeq’ between the Indian Army and the Royal Saudi Land Force was held.
• It was a 12-day joint exercise that aimed to achieve interoperability between the two forces and acquaint each other with operational procedures and combat drills under United Nations (UN) mandate.
• In this, both the contingents jointly took part in the validation phase which included creation of Temporary Operating Base, establishing an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance grid and establishing mobile vehicle check post.
• Moreover, another joint exercise between India and Saudi Arabia is Al-Mohed Al-Hindi Exercise (naval).

Pillars of India- Saudi Arabia relationship

• Historical ties – The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1947 and 2021-22 marked 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations.
  Delhi Declaration in 2006 was a watershed moment in India – Saudi Arabia relationship.
  Riyadh Declaration in 2010 elevated bilateral ties to a strategic partnership.
  
• Diplomatic relationship – Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour, the King Abdulaziz Sash was awarded to Indian PM Narendra Modi.
  Alongside, the visit of Crown Prince to India in February 2019 allowed investment of approximately 100 billion dollars in India and enabled the kingdom to join in International Solar Alliance (ISA).
  Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) Agreement, signed in 2019 established a high-level council to steer the Indo-Saudi relationship.
  
• Economic Ties – India is Saudi Arabia’s 2^nd largest trade partner and Saudi Arabia is India’s 4^th largest trade partner.
  
• Energy cooperation – Saudi Arabia is a key partner for ensuring India’s energy security. Saudi Arabia was India’s 3^rd largest crude and petroleum products source for FY23.
  India also imports LPG from Saudi Arabia.
  
• Defence Partnership – Two editions of the bilateral naval exercise, Al Mohed al Hindi, have been concluded so far.
  
• Diaspora – The Indian community is more than 2.4 million and is the largest expatriate community in the Kingdom.
  India’s e-Migrate system integrated with the Kingdom’s e-Thawtheeq system to streamline the migration process for workers.
  Additionally, Saudi Arabia supported in evacuation of Indian nationals stranded in Sudan through Jeddah under Operation Kaveri.
  
• Cultural Relationship – Indian Cultural Week was organized in Riyadh in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Culture in 2012.
  India participated as the ‘Guest of Honour’ at the prestigious Saudi National Festival of Heritage and Culture – Janadriyah in 2018.
  
• Counter terrorism – Both nations stressed the importance of combating terrorism and it’s financing. They emphasized that terrorism, in all its forms, remains one of the gravest threats to humanity.

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Practice Questions for Prelims

Choose the correct statements:

A. The maiden joint military exercise ‘Sada Tanseeq’ between the Indian Army and the Royal Saudi Land Force was held in 2024.
B. As of early 2024, Saudi Arabia is one of the top 3 crude oil suppliers to India.

a) Only A
b) Only B
c) Both A and B
d) Neither A nor B

Ans. c)

Mains Practice Question

Analyze the factors influencing the bilateral ties between India and Saudi Arabia and assess the significance of this relationship for regional stability and international affairs

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