JUBAIL: The INS Tarkash and INS Subhadra arrived at Jubail Port to participate in the second edition of the Indo-Saudi bilateral naval exercise Al-Mohed Al-Hindi on Sunday. The Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu welcomed the two ships to Jubail, gave an overview of the city’s recent developments and discussed future projects. The captains of the ships, Royal Saudi Naval Forces, defense attaché, and commander of the Eastern Fleet discussed future plans for Indo-Saudi defense cooperation. An onboard reception was organized aboard the ships for Saudi officials, featuring a cultural program about the Indian Navy. Suhel Ajaz Khan, Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, met with CEO of the RCJY Fadi Al-Fayadh and spoke to captains of the IN ships to discuss operational naval activities. Khan told Arab News that the successful bilateral relations between India and Saudi Arabia are measured through each nation’s trust and confidence in the other. “Trust and confidence are the biggest measures of success. Our strategic partnership is multifaceted. There are many things happening, such as defense, of course, since we are doing the naval exercises,” he said. There is also cooperation at the level of culture, trade and investment, he said. “Our current trade here is around $50 billion. India is the second-largest trading partner for the Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia is the fourth-largest trading partner for India,” he added. On Monday, May 22, students from Indian schools at Dammam and Jubail visited the ships and were shown onboard equipment. An educational briefing on the importance of marine ecosystems and sustainability was also presented to the students as part of the G20 mega beach clean-up campaign. In celebration of International Day of Yoga 2023, yoga demonstrations were also held in aboard the INS Tarkash. Indo-Saudi bilateral relations have witnessed unprecedented growth in the last few years under the Strategic Partnership Council Agreement, signed in 2019. Both nations are working closely together on intra-regional and international platforms through the G20. “India is the president of G20 this year,” Khan said. “India and Saudi Arabia both are very important members of the G20, so we are working very closely with our Saudi partners.”