Riyadh, April 2

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived today in Saudi Arabia where he will discuss energy, security, and trade cooperation with leaders of the world’s largest crude exporter.

India, which imports around 80 per cent of its oil needs, is keen to take advantage of low crude prices by signing overseas deals that will help secure supplies to meet its growing demand.

“Almost 20 per cent of our crude supplies come from Saudi Arabia,” Indian Foreign Ministry Official Shri Mridul Kumar said ahead of the visit.

“We have to make sure that this supply continues. And this is one of the key agenda points that PM Modi will be discussing with King Salman.”

The Saudi Press Agency reported Modi’s arrival but gave no immediate details on the visit.

Kumar said Modi was also expected to discuss means ‘to ensure the well being’ of 2.96 million Indian expatriates in Saudi Arabia who send over $10 billion in remittances every year.

“This very important visit will allow discussions on all issues of bilateral importance, regional and multilateral importance,” he said.

Indian officials will discuss the Muslim hajj to ensure that it will take place smoothly, particularly after a stampede at the annual pilgrimage in September killed more than 2,000 pilgrims, including 116 Indians.

Muslim pilgrims have blamed the stampede on police road closures and poor Saudi management of the flow of hundreds of thousands of people, who found escape routes blocked when the crush occurred.