🧠 Knowledge Drop-108 | India–Saudi Arabia: Deepening Strategic Partnership in Security | IAS Prelims 2026-27 Highly Expected MCQs | Current Affairs & GS Essays on iasmonk.com
🧠 Knowledge Drop-108 | India–Saudi Arabia: Deepening Strategic Partnership in Security
GS-2 | International Relations
Post Date: 30 January 2026
📌 Context
The 3rd India–Saudi Arabia Security Working Group meeting was held in Riyadh, reaffirming the growing depth of security cooperation between the two strategic partners.
🔐 Key Highlights of the India–Saudi Security Dialogue
Focus Areas:
• Counter-terrorism cooperation, including emerging threats
• Countering extremism and radicalisation
• Combating terror financing
• Preventing misuse of technology for terrorist purposes
• Addressing the nexus between transnational organised crime and terrorism
Institutional Framework:
• The dialogue functions under the India–Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC), ensuring continuity, predictability, and long-term strategic coordination in security cooperation.
🤝 India–Saudi Arabia Relations
🏛️ Political Relations
• Diplomatic relations established in 1947
• Delhi Declaration (2006) and Riyadh Declaration (2010) elevated ties to a strategic partnership
• Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) Agreement signed during the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Riyadh in 2019, creating a high-level institutional mechanism to steer bilateral relations
💰 Economic Relations
• India is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest trade partner
• Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth-largest trade partner
• Bilateral trade stood at $43.3 billion (2023–24)
• Saudi direct investments in India amounted to $3.15 billion (as of March 2022)
⛽ Energy Cooperation
• Saudi Arabia was India’s third-largest source of crude and petroleum products in FY23
• India imported 39.5 MMT of crude from Saudi Arabia in FY23, accounting for 16.7% of total crude imports
• LPG imports from Saudi Arabia stood at 7.85 MMT, around 11.2% of India’s total petroleum product imports in FY23
🛡️ Defence Cooperation
• Saudi Arabia signed a $250 million ammunition contract with Munitions India Limited
• Procured 155 mm Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) from Bharat Forge
Joint Exercises:
• Sada Tanseeq: Inaugural Army exercise held in Rajasthan in January 2024
• Tarang Shakti: Saudi Arabia participated as an observer in India’s largest air exercise
• Al Mohed Al Hindi: Bilateral naval exercise initiated in 2022
🌍 Indian Diaspora
• As of 2025, about 2.7 million Indians reside in Saudi Arabia
• They form the second-largest foreign workforce in the country, after Bangladesh
🛤️ Way Ahead
• Balanced Regional Engagement: Maintain strategic autonomy while engaging Saudi Arabia alongside other Gulf partners to promote regional stability
• Legal and Judicial Cooperation: Strengthen extradition, mutual legal assistance, and intelligence sharing to counter terror financing and organised crime
• Deepening Security Architecture: Further empower the Security Working Group under the SPC to tackle cyber-terrorism, lone-wolf attacks, and technology-enabled radicalisation
🧭 IAS Monk Whisper
In a fractured region, security partnerships are not built by slogans, but by steady trust, shared threats, and silent coordination across borders.
Target IAS-2026+: Highly Expected Prelims MCQs :
📌 Prelims Practice MCQs
Topic: Knowledge Drop-108 | India–Saudi Arabia: Deepening Strategic Partnership in Security
MCQ 1 | TYPE 1 — How Many Statements Are Correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the India–Saudi Arabia Security Dialogue:
1)The 3rd India–Saudi Arabia Security Working Group meeting was held in Riyadh.
2)The dialogue focuses only on conventional military cooperation.
3)Combating terror financing and countering radicalisation are part of the agenda.
4)The dialogue operates under the India–Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council.
How many of the above statements are correct?
A)Only one
B)Only two
C)Only three
D)All four
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: C) Only three
🧠 Explanation:
Correct Answer: C) Only three
1)✅ True – The meeting was held in Riyadh.
2)❌ False – The agenda includes terrorism, extremism, technology misuse, and organised crime, not only conventional military issues.
3)✅ True – Both terror financing and radicalisation are key focus areas.
4)✅ True – The dialogue functions under the Strategic Partnership Council.
MCQ 2 | TYPE 2 — Two-Statement Type
Consider the following statements:
Statement 1: The Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) between India and Saudi Arabia was established during the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Riyadh in 2019.
Statement 2: The SPC provides an institutional framework for continuity and predictability in bilateral cooperation.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A)Only 1 is correct
B)Only 2 is correct
C)Both are correct
D)Neither is correct
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: C) Both are correct
🧠 Explanation:
Correct Answer: C) Both are correct
Statement 1:✅ True – The SPC was signed during the 2019 visit.
Statement 2:✅ True – The council ensures structured and predictable cooperation.
MCQ 3 | TYPE 3 — Code-Based Statement Selection
Consider the following statements regarding India–Saudi Arabia relations:
1)India is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest trade partner.
2)Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth-largest trade partner.
3)Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at about $43.3 billion in 2023–24.
4)Saudi Arabia is India’s largest source of crude oil imports.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A)1, 2 and 3 only
B)1 and 4 only
C)2 and 4 only
D)1, 2, 3 and 4
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: A) 1, 2 and 3 only
🧠 Explanation:
Correct Answer: A) 1, 2 and 3 only
1)✅ True – India is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest trade partner.
2)✅ True – Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth-largest trade partner.
3)✅ True – Trade stood at about $43.3 billion in 2023–24.
4)❌ False – Saudi Arabia is India’s third-largest source of crude and petroleum products, not the largest.
MCQ 4 | TYPE 4 — Direct Factual Question
Which one of the following bilateral naval exercises was initiated between India and Saudi Arabia in 2022?
A)Sada Tanseeq
B)Tarang Shakti
C)Al Mohed Al Hindi
D)Malabar
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: C) Al Mohed Al Hindi
🧠 Explanation:
Correct Answer: C) Al Mohed Al Hindi
A)❌ Incorrect – Sada Tanseeq is an Army exercise.
B)❌ Incorrect – Tarang Shakti is an air exercise in which Saudi Arabia participated as an observer.
C)✅ Correct – Al Mohed Al Hindi is the bilateral naval exercise initiated in 2022.
D)❌ Incorrect – Malabar is a naval exercise involving the Quad countries.
MCQ 5 | TYPE 5 — UPSC 2025 Linkage Reasoning Format (I, II, III)
Consider the following statements:
Statement I:
India and Saudi Arabia are deepening their security partnership to address both traditional and non-traditional security threats.
Statement II:
Cooperation now includes counter-terrorism, tackling terror financing, and preventing misuse of technology by extremist groups.
Statement III:
The Strategic Partnership Council provides an institutional mechanism to ensure continuity and strategic coordination in security cooperation.
Which one of the following is correct?
A) Both Statements II and III are correct and both explain Statement I
B) Both Statements II and III are correct but only one explains Statement I
C) Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I
D) Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: A)
🧠 Explanation:
Correct Answer: A) Both Statements II and III are correct and both explain Statement I
Statement II:✅ True – These areas show the expansion of cooperation into non-traditional security threats.
Statement III:✅ True – The SPC explains how this deepening partnership is structured and sustained.