India reacts to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia defence agreement: ‘We expect that…’
Addressing a briefing, Randhir Jaiswal highlighted India's strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia, which has deepened in the last couple of years.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday reacted to Saudi Arabia's recent defence agreement with Pakistan, saying India expects that Riyadh will keep in mind the mutual interests and sensitivities.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was speaking on the "strategic mutual defence" agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Monday.
Addressing the weekly press briefing, Jaiswal highlighted India's strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia, which has deepened in the last couple of years.
"India and Saudi Arabia have a wide-ranging strategic partnership which has deepened considerably in the last several years. We expect that this strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities," Jaiswal said at the briefing.
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The MEA on Thursday said that the government will take all steps to protect the country’s national interests and ensure comprehensive national security in all domains.
"We have seen reports of the signing of a strategic mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The government was aware that this development, which formalizes a long-standing arrangement between the two countries, had been under consideration," Jaiswal said.
He further said that India will "study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability."
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The defence deal between the two nations — which declares that any attack on either country will be considered “an aggression against both” — comes days after the Israeli attack on the Hamas leadership in Qatar.
According to the joint statement, the agreement builds on the historic partnership extending for nearly eight decades between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and is based on the bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity, as well as shared strategic interests and close defence cooperation between the two countries.
With inputs from agencies
