In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the talks between the Saudi Foreign Minister and Mr. Doval had reviewed areas of India-Saudi cooperation, “alongside a discussion of the latest developments in the regional situation and an exchange of viewpoints regarding it”.
National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval’s surprise one-day visit to Riyadh was part of an outreach by the government amidst a tense phase in the West Asian conflict, and took place, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions.
The NSA’s visit was announced late on Sunday (April 19, 2026) night by the MEA, at the end of his meetings with a number of senior Ministers. In Riyadh, Mr. Doval held talks with his counterpart, National Security Adviser Musaed Al-Aiban. He also met Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, both princes in the Saudi royal family. He was received at the airport by Saudi Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Saud Al Sati, who was earlier the Saudi Ambassador to India for about a decade from 2012-2021.
“On the directions of the Prime Minister, our outreach to countries in the Gulf continues,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, describing the visit at a multi-ministerial briefing on Monday. “[Mr. Doval’s] meetings were helpful to exchange views and review bilateral ties, and also exchange views on the regional situation and other issues of mutual interest,” he added.
Mr. Doval’s travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came a week after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (April 11-12), and Energy Minister Hardeep Puri’s earlier visit to Qatar (April 9-10), and is understood to have been part of the government’s desire to shore up ties with India’s major oil and gas suppliers amidst a possible energy crisis, as well as emphasise a more balanced approach towards the region during the war. While Saudi Arabia is India’s largest oil supplier other than Russia, Qatar is India’s largest LNG supplier, and the UAE is the second largest CNG supplier and the fourth largest oil supplier for India. All energy supplies from the Gulf region have however been stalled due to Iran’s restrictions on ships through the Hormuz Strait and the U.S.’s “double blockade” just outside of it.
Regional situation
In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the talks between the Saudi Foreign Minister and Mr. Doval had reviewed areas of India-Saudi cooperation, “alongside a discussion of the latest developments in the regional situation and an exchange of viewpoints regarding it”.
The visit by Mr. Doval comes two months after his last visit, and exactly a year after Mr. Modi went to Saudi Arabia for an official visit, which he had to cut short due to the Pahalgam terror attack. Since then, many developments have overtaken ties, including the India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025, the announcement of a Saudi-Pakistan defence pact in September 2025, the India-UAE defence cooperation agreement in January 2026, Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Israel in February 2026 and the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye have worked closely with Pakistan on efforts for talks between the U.S. and Iran, with a two-week ceasefire set to end on Wednesday (April 22, 2026). During the conflict, Mr. Modi has also spoken to Saudi PM and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) twice.
According to a Saudi commentator and academic, who asked not to be named, the visit by Mr. Doval was being seen as an attempt by Delhi and Riyadh to smooth over differences in their geopolitical views.
“The visit is no doubt connected with the Gulf crisis and the attack on Iran by USA and Israel. It could also be to allay the apprehensions of the Saudi government about India’s ties with other players in the region,” the commentator, who has tracked India-Saudi ties for decades, added.
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Doval’s Riyadh visit on PM’s instructions, part of government outreach to Gulf: MEA
In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the talks between the Saudi Foreign Minister and Mr. Doval had reviewed areas of India-Saudi cooperation, “alongside a discussion of the latest developments in the regional situation and an exchange of viewpoints regarding it”.
National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval’s surprise one-day visit to Riyadh was part of an outreach by the government amidst a tense phase in the West Asian conflict, and took place, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions.
The NSA’s visit was announced late on Sunday (April 19, 2026) night by the MEA, at the end of his meetings with a number of senior Ministers. In Riyadh, Mr. Doval held talks with his counterpart, National Security Adviser Musaed Al-Aiban. He also met Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, both princes in the Saudi royal family. He was received at the airport by Saudi Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Saud Al Sati, who was earlier the Saudi Ambassador to India for about a decade from 2012-2021.
“On the directions of the Prime Minister, our outreach to countries in the Gulf continues,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, describing the visit at a multi-ministerial briefing on Monday. “[Mr. Doval’s] meetings were helpful to exchange views and review bilateral ties, and also exchange views on the regional situation and other issues of mutual interest,” he added.
Mr. Doval’s travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came a week after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (April 11-12), and Energy Minister Hardeep Puri’s earlier visit to Qatar (April 9-10), and is understood to have been part of the government’s desire to shore up ties with India’s major oil and gas suppliers amidst a possible energy crisis, as well as emphasise a more balanced approach towards the region during the war. While Saudi Arabia is India’s largest oil supplier other than Russia, Qatar is India’s largest LNG supplier, and the UAE is the second largest CNG supplier and the fourth largest oil supplier for India. All energy supplies from the Gulf region have however been stalled due to Iran’s restrictions on ships through the Hormuz Strait and the U.S.’s “double blockade” just outside of it.
Regional situation
In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the talks between the Saudi Foreign Minister and Mr. Doval had reviewed areas of India-Saudi cooperation, “alongside a discussion of the latest developments in the regional situation and an exchange of viewpoints regarding it”.
The visit by Mr. Doval comes two months after his last visit, and exactly a year after Mr. Modi went to Saudi Arabia for an official visit, which he had to cut short due to the Pahalgam terror attack. Since then, many developments have overtaken ties, including the India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025, the announcement of a Saudi-Pakistan defence pact in September 2025, the India-UAE defence cooperation agreement in January 2026, Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Israel in February 2026 and the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye have worked closely with Pakistan on efforts for talks between the U.S. and Iran, with a two-week ceasefire set to end on Wednesday (April 22, 2026). During the conflict, Mr. Modi has also spoken to Saudi PM and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) twice.
According to a Saudi commentator and academic, who asked not to be named, the visit by Mr. Doval was being seen as an attempt by Delhi and Riyadh to smooth over differences in their geopolitical views.
“The visit is no doubt connected with the Gulf crisis and the attack on Iran by USA and Israel. It could also be to allay the apprehensions of the Saudi government about India’s ties with other players in the region,” the commentator, who has tracked India-Saudi ties for decades, added.
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