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Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has signed the bilateral Haj Agreement in Jeddah, with the country's quota for India confirmed at 175,025 for the pilgrimage in 2026. Rijiju, who was on an official visit to Saudi Arabia from November 7 to 9, held a bilateral meeting with the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al Rabiah, in Jeddah on Sunday. During the meeting, both ministers reviewed the ongoing Haj preparations, discussed measures to enhance coordination and logistical support, and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further streamline the pilgrimage process for Indian pilgrims, an official statement said. The discussions focused on improving facilities, transportation, accommodation, and health services to ensure a smooth and comfortable pilgrimage experience. Following the meeting, the two sides signed the Bilateral Haj Agreement between India and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Haj2026 in Jeddah. The country quota for India was confirmed at 175,025, the
Bullish on the fast-growing Indian aviation market, Saudi Arabia's no-frills carrier flyadeal will start flights to Indian cities, including Mumbai, from the first quarter of 2026. The airline's CEO, Steven Greenway, told PTI that India is one of the "most hyper-competitive markets" in the world and there is a need to have an "absolute, brutal focus on unit cost". A sister company of Saudia Airlines, the Jeddah-based profitable flyadeal has been flying for over eight years and expects to have 46 planes in its fleet by the end of this year. Currently, the carrier has 42 A320 family aircraft and has also placed orders for 10 wide-body A330 Neos that are expected to start coming in from July 2027. "Our intent is to start operating (to India) in the quarter one of next year... We expect to do the metropolises like Mumbai and Delhi, and also, our focus will be the secondary cities in India... I think Mumbai would be the first one," Greenway told PTI in an interview. Saudi Arabia and Ind
Saudi Arabia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Aljubeir is in India on an unannounced visit and held talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday with a focus on de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Aljubeir's visit to New Delhi comes as the already frosty ties between India and Pakistan plummet further following the Indian military's targeted strikes on nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. "A good meeting with @AdelAljubeir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia this morning," Jaishankar said in a social media post. "Shared India's perspectives on firmly countering terrorism," he said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also landed in New Delhi around midnight last night on a scheduled visit amid the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Araghchi will hold wide-ranging talks with Jaishankar shortly. He is also meeting President Droupadi Murmu in the afternoon. In retaliati
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir as they co-chaired the Strategic Partnership Council, aimed at further strengthening the friendship between the two countries. Modi, who arrived in Jeddah on Tuesday on a two-day visit, delayed his scheduled meeting with the Crown Prince by at least two hours to assess the situation in Kashmir, where terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in what is the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019. Modi, who held bilateral talks with the Saudi Crown Prince, skipped an official dinner hosted and decided to cut short his visit and return home on Tuesday night, sources said. He was originally scheduled to return to India on Wednesday night. Earlier, Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Al Salam Palace (Palace of Peace), where he was received by Crown Prince Mohammed. The two leaders hugged as they greeted each other, ..
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday decided to cut short his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, hours after a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir killed 26 people, mostly tourists. Government sources said that Prime Minister Modi skipped the official dinner hosted by Saudi Arabia and has decided to cut short his visit. Modi will now leave for India on Tuesday night, instead of Wednesday as originally planned, they added.
India and Saudi Arabia are set to sign at least six memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on Tuesday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jeddah, with talks ongoing late Monday to finalise a few more agreements, according to sources. Highly placed sources told PTI that Modi will also discuss issues relating to Hajj including the quota for Indian pilgrims during his meeting with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in the evening. Among the deliverables, the two sides are expected to sign agreements in the fields of space, energy, health, science and scientific research, culture and advanced technology. "Meetings in Riyadh continued late Monday to finalise details, with over a dozen MoUs under discussion, some to be signed at the official level," an official told PTI. Sources added that efforts were underway 24 hours before Modi's arrival to conclude additional trade, investment, and defence agreements. Modi will arrive on Tuesday aftern