PM Modi receives 21-gun salute welcome upon landing in Jeddah for two-day State visit to Saudi Arabia | Watch

PM Narendra Modi landed in Jeddah on Tuesday, April 22, for his two-day State visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He was welcomed by a 21-gun salute upon landing in the Kingdom.

First Indian PM to visit Jeddah in 40+ years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit Jeddah in more than 40 years. Until now, all of Modi’s visits to Saudi Arabia had been limited to the capital city, Riyadh.

The last Indian prime minister to visit Jeddah was Indira Gandhi, who made the trip back in 1982.

Saudi Arabia visit to ‘deepen and strengthen ties’

PM Modi will meet Prince Salman during the visit “to further deepen and strengthen” ties between the two nations, the Ministry of External Affairs stated in a statement last week.

“I have arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This visit will further strengthen the friendship between India and Saudi Arabia. I look forward to participating in various programs today and tomorrow,” PM Narendra Modi posted in Arabic, on X (formerly Twitter), shortly after landing in Jeddah.

PM Modi, along with Crown Prince and PM of Saudi Arabia, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will co-chair the 2nd Leaders' Meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council during his visit to the Kingdom.

Why is PM Modi's visit to Jeddah significant?

PM Modi’s visit to Jeddah is being viewed as a significant diplomatic step in not only enhancing India’s bilateral relationship with Saudi Arabia, but also in strengthening its broader engagement with the Gulf region and the Islamic world, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had earlier said during a special press briefing.

Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia comes at a time when global trade dynamics are shifting, with tariffs imposed by the Trump administration in the US, prompting countries to diversify trade partnerships and seek alternative markets through ties with key allies.