NSA Ajit Doval meets US, UAE, Saudi Arabia counterparts to discuss Chinese threat, US rail link plan

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Sunday met his counterparts from the US, Saudi Arabia and he United Arab Emirates in a crucial meeting that took place in Jeddah to cement engagement of India with the region and the US and to discuss an ambitious proposal being pushed by the White House to link West Asian countries through rail and connect the region to South Asia via sea lanes.

The significant meeting, after China brokered peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran on March 10, was attended by US NSA Jake Sullivan, UAE NSA Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan along with Doval with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman playing the gracious host.

The meeting that took place with an objective of further expanding “shared vision of a more secure and prosperous Middle east region interconnected with India and the World” is also seen as part of countering the growing footprint of China in the Middle East.

According to the reports, US NSA Sullivan also had a bilateral meeting with NSA Doval to review decisions taken in their last meeting on February 1 and meet again on the margins of the QUAD summit in Sydney in Australia on May 24.

The India-US engagement has stepped up in the run up to the QUAD summit with Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra scheduled to visit Washington for the first ever dialogue on strategic trade on May 11-12 with his US counterparts. This dialogue will help India get high end technology from US companies for “Atmanirbhar Bharat” vision of PM Narendra Modi.

A massive joint project to build railway, maritime and road connectivity in the larger region, linking the Indian subcontinent in South Asia with West Asia, which the US calls the Middle East, will be discussed.

The development is reportedly, one of the key initiatives the White House wants to push in the Middle East as China’s influence in the region grows. The Middle East is a key part of China’s Belt and Road vision.

At the crucial Saudi Arabia meeting, Crown Prince Salman and NSA Sullivan reviewed the progress made to consolidate the truce in Yemen. While Sullivan and Doval thanked the Crown Prince for evacuation of their nationals from war hit Sudan, the four delegations agreed to maintain regular consultations and follow-up of matters discussed and decisions taken in the meeting.

The ambitious project will help India build a brand as an infrastructure builder in the railways sector. The government feels that India’s connectivity to its western neighbours has been limited for long by Pakistan’s blocking of overland transit routes.

Delhi therefore wants to use shipping routes to reach West Asian ports. These include Chabahar and Bandar-e-Abbas (Iran), Duqm (Oman), Dubai (UAE), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Kuwait City. Connectivity projects crisscrossing the Gulf and Arab countries, with Indian stakes, will also open up trading opportunities.

Before visiting Saudi Arabia, NSA Doval had also held bilateral talks in Iran with his counterpart.