NSA Ajit Doval meets Saudi Crown Prince, US & Emirati counterparts

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in addition to US NSA Jake Sullivan and UAE NSA Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Jeddah on May 7, 2023.

The meeting was aimed at advancing the "shared vision of a more secure and prosperous Middle East region interconnected with India and the world," according to a readout released by the US White House.

NSA Doval and his American colleague Jake Sullivan also met separately to discuss bilateral and regional issues. According to the White House readout, NSA Sullivan "looks forward to further consulting with Mr. Doval on the margins of the Quad Summit later this month in Australia".

The meeting is significant as it marks the first time NSA Doval and US NSA Jake Sullivan have met since launching the ambitious India-US ICET (Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology) dialogue in January this year.

In addition to Doval, NSA Sullivan also met privately with the Crown Prince and Sheikh Tahnoon to address further regional issues, according to the White House.

During the meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed, both sides reviewed significant progress in talks to further consolidate the now 15-month-long truce in Yemen and welcomed ongoing UN-led efforts to bring the war to a close. They also agreed to maintain regular consultations and follow up on the matters discussed throughout the day, the White House said.

While further details were not immediately available, Axios, a news organization with its headquarters in Virginia, reported that the US, Saudi, Emirati, and Indian National Security Advisers discussed a potential significant joint infrastructure project to connect the countries of the Gulf and the Arab world via a network of railways that would also be connected to India via shipping lanes from ports in the region.

As China's influence in the Middle East increases, the project is one of the major projects the White House wishes to support in the area. The concept first surfaced through conversations in I2U2, a forum which was created in 2021 by India, Israel, US, and UAE to debate important Middle Eastern infrastructure initiatives.