Top Saudi General visits India, junior goes to Pakistan

In a balancing act of sorts, the seniormost officer in the Saudi Armed Forces visited India while his junior, the Army chief, simultaneously undertook a trip to Pakistan this week.

In a first, Chief of General Staff (COGS) of the Royal Saudi Armed Forces, General Fayyad Bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, visited the national capital and met the top Indian military leadership, including Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.

In a meeting on Wednesday, the two military leaders reviewed the bilateral defence engagement, including joint military exercises and enhanced sharing of defence and White Shipping Information. The two also held discussions that led to a progress towards a Military Logistics Support Agreement. Gen Al-Ruwaili is the seniormost armed forces officer in Saudi, who has been the COGS since 2018. The officer was accorded a Guard of Honour and a roundtable conference was held at the highest military level.


"The interaction underscored the deep historical and cultural connect built on centuries-old people-to-people ties, while reaffirming key milestones such as establishment of the Strategic Partnership Council and the Defence Cooperation Committee," officials said.

Earlier in August, the 7th meeting of India-Saudi Arabia Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation took place in New Delhi with the two countries holding discussions on training cooperation, industrial partnerships, maritime cooperation and joint military exercises. Opportunities for joint manufacturing and partnership in defence equipment were also discussed.

Saudi Arabia has close ties with the Pakistani military, including a pact for mutual defence assistance. Gen Al-Ruwaili also visited Pakistan last month and held discussions with the top military and political leaders.

Coinciding with COGS visit to New Delhi, Lt General Fahad Bin Saud Al-Johani, Commander Royal Saudi Land Forces, visited Pakistan and met with General Asim Munir in Rawalpindi. An official release stated that "matters of mutual interest, regional security, and avenues for enhanced bilateral defence cooperation" were discussed.