President Ram Nath Kovind of the Republic of India received at the Presidential Palace here today His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The motorcade of HRH Crown Prince was accompanied by a constellation of knights, while Indian artillery fired 21 rounds welcoming HRH Crown Prince. An official reception ceremony was held for HRH Crown Prince, whereas the national anthems of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India were played. HRH Crown Prince also inspected the guard of honor. Then, HRH Crown Prince shook hands with ministers and senior officials of the Indian government, while the Indian President and Prime Minister shook hands with the delegation accompanying HRH Crown Prince. The delegation included Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State and Cabinet's Member; Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Minister of National Guard; Minister of Commerce and Investment Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir; Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Engineer Khalid Al-Falih; Minister of Economy and Planning Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri; Minister of Media Turki Al-Shabanah; Chief of General Intelligence Khalid Al-Humaidan; Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of Defense Minister's Office Fahd Al-Issa; Advisor at the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers Yasser AlRumayyan, Secretary of HRH Crown Prince Dr. Bandar Al-Rasheed and Saudi Ambassador to India Saud Al-Saty. Later, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, delivered a press statement in the presence of the Indian President and the Prime Minister, stressing that relations between the Arabian Peninsula, in which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represents 80% of its area, are dated back to more than 2000 years, praising the two peoples' participation in the development and progress of the two countries. HRH Crown Prince said that his visit to India comes to discuss the development of cooperation between the two countries and upgrade them to a new stage, stressing deep-rooted bilateral relations between the two countries.
