India ‘expects KSA to be mindful of sensitivities’

On Friday, two days after Riyadh signed a mutual defense treaty with New Delhi’s longtime arch-enemy Pakistan, India expressed its hope that Saudi Arabia will consider the two nations’ shared interests and sensitivities.

During a weekly news briefing, Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said reporters that the country and Saudi Arabia have a broad strategic alliance that has grown significantly over the past few years. “We expect that this strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities,” he stated.

One of the largest petroleum exporters to India is Saudi Arabia, and the two nations decided this year to increase their cooperation in the supply of liquefied petroleum gas and crude oil.

This year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the two countries were also looking at working together on petrochemical and refinery projects. India’s foreign ministry acknowledged Thursday that the agreement had been contemplated and promised to research the ramifications for New Delhi. Despite being among the poorest nations in Asia, Pakistan possesses an army of over 600,000 soldiers to protect it against India, its far larger rival.