The crucial meeting aimed at strengthening India and the United States ties with the Sunni world and expanding cooperation with Middle-East kingdoms.

Countering China’s growing presence in the Middle East.

On Sunday, National Security Advisors from the United States, India, and the United Arab Emirates met with Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, to strengthen India’s ties with the region and the United States.

After China brokered peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran on March 10, the most important meeting took place in Saudi Arabia with the goal of expanding the “shared vision of a more secure and prosperous Middle East region interconnected with India and the World.”

The meeting was attended by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman acting as gracious host.

While New Delhi remains tight-lipped about the meeting,

US NSA Sullivan met with NSA Doval in a bilateral meeting to review decisions made in their previous meeting on February 1 and will meet again on the margins of the QUAD summit in Sydney, Australia, on May 24. In an effort to mend strained American relations with the Sunni world, the US NSA met bilaterally with his Saudi and UAE counterparts.

The India-US engagement has increased in the run-up to the QUAD summit, with Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra scheduled to visit Washington on May 11-12 for the first-ever strategic trade dialogue with his US counterparts. This dialogue will assist India in obtaining high-end technology from US companies for PM Narendra Modi’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” vision.

According to a US readout of the crucial Saudi Arabia meeting, Crown Prince Salman and NSA Sullivan reviewed the progress made in consolidating the Yemen truce. While Sullivan and Doval expressed gratitude to the Crown Prince for evacuating their nationals from war-torn Sudan, the four delegations agreed to continue regular consultations and follow-up on matters discussed and decisions made during the meeting.

Prior to his visit to Saudi Arabia, NSA Doval met with his counterpart in Iran.

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