The Strategic Partnership Council Agreement is a high-level bilateral concept and agreement that institutionalizes a mechanism for steering and elevating relations between India and a partner country. The agreement between India and Saudi Arabia was signed on October 29, 2019, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Riyadh, making India the fourth country to establish such a council with Saudi Arabia. Its creation aimed to begin a "new era of cooperation" and deepen mutual political trust and strategic exchange.
The agreement established a council headed by the Prime Minister of India and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, which is mandated to meet every two years to coordinate decisions on strategically important matters. The mechanism originally functioned through two parallel tracks: a Ministerial Committee for Political, Security, Social, and Cultural Cooperation, and a Ministerial Committee for Economy and Investment. The council connects to the broader concept of a Strategic Partnership, focusing on enhancing cooperation in areas like defense, counter-terrorism, energy security, trade, and investment. It also involves coordination within global forums such as the G20, IMF, and World Bank.
The council has changed recently, with its expansion welcomed in a joint statement on April 22, 2025. The council was expanded to include four ministerial committees, adding a Ministerial Committee for Defense Cooperation and a Ministerial Committee for Tourism and Cultural Cooperation to the existing structure. This expansion reflects the deepening of the strategic partnership across diverse fields.