NSA Doval discusses bilateral, regional cooperation with Saudi counterpart

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and his Saudi counterpart, Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, on Wednesday, discussed bilateral cooperation, as well as regional and other issues of shared interest. 

NSA Doval discusses bilateral, regional cooperation with Saudi counterpart
Source: IANS

Riyadh, Feb 4 (IANS) National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and his Saudi counterpart, Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, on Wednesday, discussed bilateral cooperation, as well as regional and other issues of shared interest. 

"NSA Ajit Doval held a productive meeting with the Saudi Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet, and National Security Adviser, Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban. The discussions covered bilateral cooperation as well as regional and other issues of mutual interest," the Embassy of India in Riyadh posted on X.

Doval arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday for an official visit and was received at the Airport by Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Suhel Ajaz Khan and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saud Al-Sati.

This comes against the backdrop of the ongoing security cooperation talks between the two nations. 

Last week, India and Saudi Arabia held the third meeting of the Security Working Group under the Political, Consular and Security Cooperation Committee of the Strategic Partnership Council in Riyadh, reviewing the ongoing bilateral security cooperation.

The two nations shared views on enhancing cooperation in current and emerging challenges to counter terrorism, including countering extremism and radicalisation, combating financing of terrorism, preventing use of technology for terrorist purposes, and the nexus between transnational organised crime and terrorism.

The officials of India and Saudi Arabia deliberated upon measures to further deepen bilateral legal and judicial cooperation and law enforcement cooperation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated.

"Both sides reiterated their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism and the dastardly terrorist attack on innocent civilians on April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and the terror incident on November 10, 2025, near Red Fort, New Delhi," read a statement issued by the MEA.

The meeting was co-chaired by Vinod Bahade, Joint Secretary (Counter Terrorism) at the MEA and Ahmed Al-Eissa, Director General of Legal Affairs and International Cooperation, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior. 

The next meeting of the Security Working Group will be held in India on a mutually convenient date.

 --IANS

scor/sd/