Last Updated on January 29, 2026 8:15 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
WEB DESK
India and Saudi Arabia have held a high-level security dialogue in Riyadh, reaffirming their commitment to closer cooperation on counter-terrorism and regional security, days after New Delhi signed a strategic defence letter of intent with the United Arab Emirates.
The third meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Security Working Group under the Political, Consular and Security Cooperation Committee of the Strategic Partnership Council took place on January 28. The talks were co-chaired by Vinod Bahade, joint secretary for counter-terrorism in India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and Ahmed Al-Eissa, director general of legal affairs and international cooperation at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior.
Both sides reiterated their strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism. They also denounced the April 22, 2025 attack on civilians in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir and the November 10, 2025 terror incident near the Red Fort in New Delhi. Officials carried out a comprehensive review of ongoing security cooperation and discussed threats posed by terrorist groups at the global and regional levels.The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation to counter extremism and radicalisation, combat the financing of terrorism, prevent the misuse of technology for terrorist purposes, and address links between transnational organised crime and terrorism. Measures to further strengthen bilateral legal, judicial and law enforcement cooperation were also examined. The meeting has drawn attention as it followed India’s recent signing of a letter of intent on a strategic defence partnership with the UAE. India stressed that the dialogue with Saudi Arabia remains part of an established framework under the Strategic Partnership Council.