New Delhi, India – Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived Saturday for the G20 Summit in India, television broadcasts showed, as the bloc prepares to discuss issues from Ukraine to climate change.
The head of the Arab world’s largest economy was greeted on the tarmac in New Delhi by a troupe of women dancing to folk music.
He is expected to sign an infrastructure agreement with the United States and other G20 members to explore the building of a rail and shipping network that links the Middle East to India and Europe.
His visit comes at a time when Washington is actively engaging with the kingdom, encouraging it to normalize ties with Israel.
“This has been the result of months of careful diplomacy, quiet, careful diplomacy, bilaterally and in multilateral settings,” US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said Saturday.
This project “has enormous potential but exactly how long it takes, I don’t know,” Finer added.
The agreement to discuss the project could be among the most tangible outcomes of the summit, with G20 leaders divided over Russia’s war in Ukraine and gridlocked on finding an agreement to slash carbon emissions.