Indian National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval held bilateral talks with his American counterpart Jake Sullivan in Saudi Arabia on Sunday. The two NSAs discussed regional and bilateral matters, and will meet again on the sidelines of the Quad Summit in Australia later this month.
Connecting Middle East to India and the World
Doval and Sullivan had come to Jeddah to meet their UAE and Saudi Arabian counterparts. The meeting between the Indian and American NSAs was the first since they launched the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) dialogue in January.
On 7 May, a meeting occurred between UAE NSA Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Sullivan, and Doval.
A statement released by the White House highlighted that the four countries came together to advance their common goal of a Middle East region that is more secure and prosperous, and is connected to India and the rest of the world.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and National Security Advisor of India Ajit Doval on May 7 in Saudi Arabia ‘to advance their shared… pic.twitter.com/2O2pfKaHpo
— Kanchan Gupta 🇮🇳 (@KanchanGupta) May 8, 2023
New Areas of Cooperation Between New Delhi and the Gulf
Outlining the agenda for this meeting at his 2023 Soref Symposium address last week, Sullivan said:
“In fact, this weekend I’ll be in Saudi Arabia for meetings with its leadership, and my UAE and Indian counterparts will come to Saudi Arabia as well for meetings so that we can discuss new areas of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf as well as the United States and the rest of the region, fueled in part by the comprehensive economic partnership signed last year between India and the UAE. And this can help us carry forward some very tangible initiatives that we think will be unlike anything that we have seen in the region in recent years.”
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a visit to the kingdom and reviewed what the White House called ‘significant progress’ in Yemen peace efforts https://t.co/2XzPwue5uQ pic.twitter.com/DTvaBTsWlr
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 8, 2023
US and the Middle East
Sullivan also held bilateral meetings with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and NSA Tahnoon. A release from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “During the meeting, they discussed means to strengthen relations and ties between the three countries in a way that enhances growth and stability in the region.”
The US considers the interconnected Middle East crucial for regional peace and prosperity. India could play a significant role in the US initiatives in the region as the global power attempts to strengthen its presence given a growing Chinese influence.