New Delhi: Amid tension between India and Pakistan over the February 14 Pulwama attack, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in India. Mohammed bin Salman, (MBS) as he referred to, was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Palam technical area on Tuesday night. He was given a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday morning. Earlier, the Crown Prince visited Pakistan, where he was given a red-carpet welcome. The Saudi Crown Prince flew back to his country before leaving for India, as New Delhi had apprehensions over him arriving in India from Pakistan.
While talking to media on the sidelines of the reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, MBS said that 'India is in Saudi DNA'. Further added that "Today we want to be sure that this relationship is maintained and improved for the sake of both countries. With the leadership of the President and the PM, I am sure we can create good things for Saudi Arabia and India," he further said.
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Saudi minister of state Adel al-Jubeir was quoted as saying "Our objective is to try to de-escalate tensions between the two countries, neighbouring countries, and to see if there is a path forward to resolving those differences peacefully,". Welcoming the Crown Prince, PM Modi said, "India is delighted to welcome HRH Mohammed Bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia."
Meanwhile, later during the day, he will be meeting External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at 10.45 am at ITC Maurya Hotel in New Delhi. He will be meeting PM Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House at 12 noon. The two leaders will hold delegation level talks and will exchange agreements and press statements. The Saudi Crown Prince will then meet President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. While India will be raising the issue of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, some of the key areas of cooperation include trade, tourism, information and broadcasting.
Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to depart at 11.50 pm. Reports suggested that he would be visiting China as a part of his Asia tour.
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