Dr. Suhail Ejaz Khan. File | Photo credit: Dr. Suhail Azaz Khan’s Ax Handle
Saudi Arabia is at the top of India’s list of close friends and allies and is willing to share many of its defense technologies that have been localized in recent years, Indian Ambassador to Riyadh Dr. Suhail Azaz Khan said while addressing a defense industry seminar recently. The remarks show how defense-industrial cooperation has now become a key focus area between the two countries as they have deepened defense cooperation and are now exploring joint ventures and collaborations.
Highlighting the congruence between Saudi’s Vision 2030 under which it aims to localize 50% of its defense spending, and India’s Make in India initiative, the ambassador highlighted that India has many investment opportunities in the defense sector. Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia signed a $250 million deal for ammunition with Munitions India Limited, a defense public sector entity.
“Defence cooperation between the two countries has always been based on a high level of mutual trust and confidence. And I am happy to note that our two countries enjoy a level of trust and confidence and that is why we want to share a large number of defense products and technologies with our friendly country, Saudi Arabia,” Dr Khan said at the end of the seminar. – November The Indian delegation visited Riyadh.
Saudi defense companies have shown strong interest in boosting partnerships in key areas such as shipbuilding, electronics, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, officials said in discussions at the seminar.
Focus on indigenization
As we know, India and Saudi Arabia have traditionally always been the largest importers of defense hardware, Dr. Khan mentioned, now both countries are trying to localize defense production as much as possible. “We have made a lot of progress in the last few years. But this progress has been very time consuming, resource consuming and laborious. But now, we are at a level where we have a large number of inventory where we have a localized product. And these technologies, we can only share with our very close friends and associates. Saudi Arabia, I can assure you, is at the top of the list,” he said.
India and Saudi relations have seen a major upswing in the past decade with defense and security emerging as one of the key pillars. Maintaining this momentum, a series of high-level visits have taken place in the last two years.
Further, the ambassador said that India has opened up its defense sector for investment which offers many investment opportunities for Saudi companies. Advocating the path of ‘investment, trade, localisation’, he gave the example of a Basmati rice brand invested by a Saudi firm, then imported into Saudi and finally setting up shop there. It also fits into the ‘Invest, Trade, Localise’ Saudi Vision 2030 “Wherever you are trying to localize your defense industry we all have to but we can be partners in that,” Dr Khan said. said
Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia aims to transform from a defense consumer to a defense producer with the goal of localizing 50% of its spending.
Areas of mutual interest
The seminar was attended by leading Indian public sector as well as private defense companies and after the discussions, Indian companies have been invited to take forward talks on specific projects including joint ventures in naval and aerospace technology, informed officials added.
Minister of State for Defense Ajay Bhatt visited Riyadh in February for the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 where his discussions centered around “exploring opportunities for cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including increasing the scope of joint training exercises, technology transfer and exchanges”. of expertise”, said the Ministry of Defence.
In January this year, the two countries held the inaugural edition of military exercise ‘Sada Tansik’ in Rajasthan’s Mahajan Range and in August, Saudi Arabia was one of the 18 observer nations in the second phase of the Indian Air Force’s largest aerial exercise Tarang Shakti. . The bilateral exercise ‘Al Mohed Al Hindi’ started in 2022 between the two navies.
Saudi Arabia has reportedly purchased the 155 mm Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATGS) from Bharat Forge. Saudi Arabia had in the past evaluated two types of artillery guns manufactured by India Forge.
published – Dec 25, 2024 09:43 pm IST