• Source:JND
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Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Defence Deal: India, on Thursday, officially responded to the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence deal, where both sides agreed that “aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both”. In a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs, it said that New Delhi will study the implications of the development for its national security as well as for regional and global stability.

“We have seen reports of the signing of a strategic mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The Government was aware that this development, which formalizes a long-standing arrangement between the two countries, had been under consideration,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

How India reacted to Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence deal

india reaction to defence pact

“We will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability. The Government remains committed to protecting India’s national interests and ensuring comprehensive national security in all domains,” added the statement.

MEA's remark comes hours after Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a "Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement", pledging that any aggression against either nation would be treated as an attack on both.

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Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Defence Deal

The agreement was inked during a state visit by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday to Riyadh at the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

According to a joint statement issued following the visit, "building on the historic partnership extending for nearly eight decades between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and based on the bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity, as well as shared strategic interests and close defence cooperation between the two countries, HRH the Crown Prince and the Pakistani prime minister signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement."

asim munir shehbaz sharif

The statement from Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office said that the agreement was signed on the basis of the “historic partnership extending for nearly eight decades … based on the bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity, … shared strategic interests and close defence cooperation”, between Islamabad and Riyadh.

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"This agreement, which reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieving security and peace in the region and the world, aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression. The agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both," the joint statement further read.