This article traces the diplomatic relationship between India and Saudi Arabia, from the establishment of relations to the Strategic Partnership Council and the visits by leaders that have shaped it. It also lists the fields of the agreements signed during those visits and the recent parliamentary links. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of May 2026.
Establishment of relations
According to the MEA brief of May 2026, diplomatic relations between India and Saudi Arabia were established in 1947. The brief describes the two countries as enjoying close friendly relations reflecting centuries old economic and socio-cultural ties.
The Delhi and Riyadh Declarations
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud visited India in January 2006, a visit the brief calls historic. It resulted in the signing of the 'Delhi Declaration'.
This was followed by the 'Riyadh Declaration' in 2010, during the visit of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to the Kingdom. The Riyadh Declaration elevated bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership.
April 2016
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Riyadh in April 2016. According to the brief, the visit led to enhanced and comprehensive cooperation in the political, economic, security and defence fields. During the visit, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud conferred the Kingdom's highest civilian honour, the 'King Abdulaziz Sash', on the Prime Minister.
February 2019
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud visited India in February 2019. Six MoUs/Agreements were signed in fields including investment, tourism, housing and exchange of audio-visual programmes, and an agreement was signed to pave the way for Saudi Arabia to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The investment announcement made during this visit is covered in this guide's trade and investment article.
October 2019
The Prime Minister visited Riyadh again on October 28-29, 2019. The Strategic Partnership Council Agreement was signed, establishing a high-level council to steer the bilateral relationship. 12 MoUs/Agreements were signed across fields including energy, security, defence production, civil aviation, medical products, strategic petroleum reserves, small and medium scale industries, and training of diplomats. The Prime Minister also delivered the keynote address at the 3rd Future Investment Initiative Summit.
September 2023
Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud visited India on September 9-11, 2023, to participate in the G20 Leaders' Summit. He co-chaired the 1st Leaders' Meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council with the Prime Minister of India. Eight MoUs/MoCs/Agreements were signed across fields including energy, banking, investment, manufacturing, archival cooperation, anti-corruption and water desalination.
April 2025
The Prime Minister undertook a State Visit to the Kingdom on April 22, 2025. He and the Crown Prince held official talks at Jeddah, exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international issues, and co-chaired the 2nd Leaders' Meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council. A Joint Statement was issued.
Four bilateral MoUs/Agreements were signed during the visit, in the fields of:
- Space
- Health
- Sports (Anti-Doping)
- Postal Cooperation
The Strategic Partnership Council
During the April 2025 visit, the Strategic Partnership Council was expanded to four Ministerial Committees:
- Political, Consular & Security Cooperation Committee
- Defence Cooperation Committee
- Economy, Energy, Investment & Technology Committee
- Tourism & Cultural Cooperation Committee
The work of these committees in their fields is described in the other articles of this guide.
Frequency of exchanges
The brief records regular high-level exchanges between the two countries. In 2025 alone, nearly 35 ministerial and senior official-level interactions took place across various domains. The brief refers to an annexure listing recent ministerial visits, but that annexure is not part of the brief text used for this guide.
Parliamentary links
For the first time, an official delegation from the Saudi-India Parliamentary Friendship Committee of the Shura Council visited India in December 2025. An India-Saudi Arabia Parliamentary Friendship Group was constituted by the Indian Parliament in February 2026.