Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accorded ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan
Sep 11, 2023
New Delhi [India], September 11 : Saudi Arabian Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud was accorded a ceremonial reception at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday as he began his state visit after having participated in the 18th G20 Leaders' summit. 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu welcomed the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 
Prince Mohammed bin Salman then inspected a combined defence services Guard of Honour. 
In a brief statement Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulated India for a successful G20 presidency.
"Well done India, a lot of announcements made that will benefit both our countries, the G20 countries and the whole world. So I want to say to India well done, and we will work to create a future for both countries" he said.
The Saudi Crown Prince arrived in Delhi on a three-day visit on Saturday and has stayed back after the G20 Summit for his state visit.
Following the ceremonial reception, Prince Mohammed bin Salman will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a bilateral at the Hyderabad House.
The Saudi Crown Prince is also expected to sign the minutes of the first meeting of the India-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council at the same venue later in the day.
At the G20 Leaders' Summit on Saturday, India, the United States, Saudi Arabia and the European Union announced a historic agreement to launch a mega India-Middle East-Europe shipping and railway connectivity corridor.
This is a historic and first-of-its-kind initiative on cooperation on connectivity and infrastructure involving India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, EU, France, Italy, Germany and the US.
Speaking at the same forum, Prince Mohammed bin Salman said, "... We look forward to the integration of the initiative and the Economic Corridor project which is announced in this meeting. I would like to thank those who worked with us to reach this founding step to establish this important economic corridor..."
PM Narendra Modi said the mega-deal would give a sustainable direction to connectivity and sustainability across the world.
Saudi Arabia also hosted a three-day event in conjunction with the G20 Leader’s Summit to provide an immersive and interactive experience of the Kingdom’s leading projects in various fields. The event titled ‘Media Oasis’ was organized on September 9 and will conclude on September 11 in New Delhi.
The event aims to provide an immersive experience of Saudi Arabia’s leading projects in the sectors of tourism, entertainment, technology, culture and sports. The overarching theme of the exhibit is ‘Vision 2030’, an initiative by Saudi Arabia aimed towards the diversification of the country economically, socially, and culturally.
