India expects Saudi Arabia to keep in mind mutual interests, sensitivities: MEA on Saudi-Pak pact
New Delhi (PTI): India on Friday said it expects Saudi Arabia to keep in mind "mutual interests and sensitivities" in the wake of Riyadh sealing a strategic defence pact with Pakistan.
The agreement states that "any aggression against either of the two countries shall be considered as an aggression against both".
"India and Saudi Arabia have a wide-ranging strategic partnership that has deepened considerably in the last few years," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We expect that our strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities," he said.
Jaiswal was responding to a question at his weekly media briefing.
The "Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement" was signed by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday.
Sharif, accompanied by Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, was on a visit to Saudi Arabia.
The Pakistan-Saudi Arabia joint statement said the new defence agreement reflects the "shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security" and it "aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression."
Pakistan has been a key ally of Saudi Arabia and both sides have a relationship in the defence sector.
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
