External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid’s visit to Saudi Arabia this weekend has been cancelled due to the sudden ill-health of his Saudi host.
Khurshid was to travel to the desert kingdom on Saturday morning for a two-day visit, which would have been the first stand-alone visit by an Indian External Affairs Minister since 2001.
But, the trip was cancelled on Wednesday upon receiving news of ill-health of Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-faisal.
In recent years, India’s relation with Saudi Arabia has intensified, especially in counter terrorism. Last year, two terror suspects Abu Jundal and Fasih Mehmood were deported from Saudi Arabia to India.