India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was in Saudi Arabia where he was reportedly briefed on the Gaza Peace Plan, and more important from Delhi’s point of view, Riyadh’s defence agreement with Pakistan signed in September last year.
Reports that Turkey was also planning to join that club would have added to India’s concerns: Ankara under President Erdogan has pursued a pro-Pakistan policy complete with references to Kashmir that have raised hackles in Delhi.
While there is no word from the NSA’s office about what emerged from his discussions, on one issue there may have been satisfaction. A source close to the Saudi military has denied reports of Turkey joining the Saudi-Pak Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA).
AFP said the source had confirmed that “Turkey won’t join the defence pact with Pakistan. It’s a bilateral pact with Pakistan and will remain a bilateral pact.” A Saudi official told Reuters that “Our relationship with India is more robust than it has ever been. We will continue to contribute to regional peace whichever way we can.”
In other words, the Saudis will not be drawn into an anti-India alignment given that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman views India as a long-term economic partner as Riyadh seeks to move away from its dependence on oil. A defence arrangement with Turkey would have also brought the Saudis into the crosshairs of Israel and the US since Ankara has strained relations with the former.
Another interesting development are reports that Greece is keen that India join the “Mediterranean Quad” which brings together Athens, Israel and the island of Cyprus. It’s not clear if any formal proposal is in the works, but important to recall that Modi was in Greece in Aug 2023 and drills with the Hellenic Navy have already taken place.
Turkish media reports have referred to India offering Athens its long range land attack cruise missile which can hit targets over 1000-km away.
Prime Minister Modi was in Cyprus in June last year, the first visit by an Indian prime minister in 24 years. Cyprus is willing to host Indian naval vessels at its ports. There are plans for joint maritime training and a Bilateral Defence Cooperation Programme is expected to boost defence industrial collaboration.
Clearly, moves and countermoves are at play as the big geopolitical churn unleashed by Donald Trump gathers momentum.
(This article was written by Aanchal Pannu, an intern at StratNews Global)
