Before Prime Minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister said that despite conflicts in West Asia, IMEC initiatives are still normal

Foreign Minister Vikram Misri was at a press conference on April 19, 2025 to Narendra Modi, Saudi Arabia, New Delhi. |Picture source: MEA Photos via PTI

Foreign Minister Vikram Misri said on Saturday (April 19, 2025) that the Israel-Palestinian conflict will not affect the plans of the Central Eastern European Economic Corridor (IMEC), while outlining India’s relations with Saudi Arabia, which will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Indian officials on April 22.

“Frankly, I don’t necessarily see any organic connection between these two issues. India’s position on the two-state solution is a long-standing position. I think there is no need to make any demands on this at this stage. In IMEC, in IMEC, work can be done in parallel. The security situation can only affect certain projects at a certain time. In a certain degree, distributed events can be done to some extent.

The IMEC project was launched at the G-20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023, but a few weeks later, with the outbreak of the Israel-Palestine conflict on October 7, 2023, Mr Misri said that despite the basic work required, after the signing of the framework agreement in 2023, Mr Misri said that the required foundations were not possible. He added that work will start to connect directly to the grid, which he described as “one of the main pillars of the IMEC initiative.”

“Working with Selected Partners”

“The security situation in the region seems to have frozen IMEC, but we have been working with selected partners,” Mr Misri said, explaining that India is also working to control violence between Israelis and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“India has been involved with all the major players on this issue – regional leaders such as Palestine, Israel, and Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia itself,” Misri said.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia will “exchange notes” for regional and global issues, including threats to the Houthi rebels to navigation, the Foreign Minister said.

Energy Agreement Possible

This is Mr. Modi’s third visit to Saudi Arabia after his trips in 2016 and 2019. He will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah. “This visit is important due to the obvious significance of Saudi Arabia as a strategic partner of India,” said Mr Misri.

Misri noted that “Saudi Arabia is the leading voice in the Islamic world and is increasingly important in regional development.” Misri noted the role of the kingdom in bringing Russia and the United States into the negotiation table.

In the recent past, Saudi Arabia and India have begun to deepen defensive ties. “In 2024, we conducted the first joint land exercise between the two countries. Both versions conducted joint naval exercises,” said Mr Misri, pointing out that capacity building is a region where India has been supporting Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is India’s fifth largest trading partner and one of India’s highest energy suppliers. The total trade between the two countries was approximately US$43 billion during the 2023-2024 period. Mr Misri said the kingdom’s large infrastructure projects are being obtained from the involvement of Indian companies. “We are considering injecting strategic prospects in the strategic partnership between the two countries, and we expect the upcoming visit to be relevant,” the Foreign Secretary said.