India expects Saudi Arabia to take into consideration “mutual interests and sensitivities” in the bilateral strategic partnership, the external affairs ministry said on Friday in the context of the mutual defence agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that has significant ramifications for regional security. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed the “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” on Wednesday, close on the heels of Israel’s military strikes on Hamas leaders in Qatar, and the treaty states that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both”.
