NEW DELHI: Saudi Arabia and India agreed on Tuesday to strengthen cooperation in the critical minerals sector, as New Delhi seeks to accelerate its green energy transition.
Critical minerals, such as lithium, copper and rare earth, are essential raw materials required for clean energy technologies, used in wind turbines, electric vehicles, battery manufacturing and to help develop artificial intelligence systems.
India’s coal and mines minister G. Kishan Reddy and his Saudi counterpart, Bandar Al-Khorayef, met in the Indian capital and discussed “fostering resilient supply chains, investments in mineral value addition, and technological collaboration,” India’s Ministry of Mines said in a statement.
“India and Saudi Arabia are deepening cooperation in the critical minerals sector,” the ministry said.
“The dialogue aligns with India’s National Critical Minerals Mission, focusing on securing resources essential for clean energy and high-tech industries.”
The Indian government launched just last week the National Critical Mineral Mission, a comprehensive plan aimed at securing the country’s national, energy and food security needs.
Under the mission, India plans to secure overseas mining assets, while also expanding its domestic exploration of critical mineral blocks, increase research and development projects, and create 10,000 skilled professionals specializing in the sector.
These efforts are also aimed toward supporting India’s target of cutting its emissions to net zero by 2070.
During their meeting on Tuesday, Reddy and Al-Khorayef “explored strengthening mineral supply chains, investment opportunities and knowledge-sharing in mineral exploration,” the Indian mines ministry said.
Saudi Arabia, which estimates the value of its untapped mineral resources at $2.5 trillion, is aiming to become a global hub for critical minerals trade, with the sector being key to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 diversification and transformation plan.
In 2022, Riyadh started awarding mining exploration licenses to international investors.
“Critical minerals, along with AI, and similar future commodities will be the new proverbial oil,” Kabir Taneja, deputy director at the Observer Research Foundation, told Arab News.
While commodities are traditionally a game of individual state interests and policies rather than a product of multilateralism, “states like India (and) Saudi Arabia should join hands in pursuing these futures as part of a common narrative, that is of multipolarity,” he said.
Cooperation in the critical minerals sector is likely to benefit both India and Saudi Arabia, said Muddassir Qamar, associate professor at the Center for West Asian Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University.
“India’s plan for augmenting its manufacturing sector and compete with major manufacturing hubs in Asia and globally would require import of critical minerals, which Saudi Arabia has,” he told Arab News.
“If this can evolve into more than just transactional relations, it’s a win-win for both countries.”
Saudi Arabia, India agree to strengthen critical minerals partnership
https://arab.news/2e3eq
Saudi Arabia, India agree to strengthen critical minerals partnership
- Under new National Critical Minerals Mission, India plans to secure overseas mining assets
- Value of Saudi Arabia’s untapped mineral resources is estimated at $2.5 trillion
Indonesian army deploys snipers on key highway to safeguard Eid exodus
- Nearly 144m Indonesians to take part in annual homecoming rush
- About 161,000 security personnel deployed to oversee their safety
JAKARTA: Indonesia's military and police will deploy special task forces, including snipers, to the main travel route in Sumatra to manage security during the annual homecoming rush, when millions of people will commute between cities and islands to observe Eid Al-Fitr with family.
Locally known as “mudik,” the Eid exodus is one of the world’s greatest seasonal migrations, with travelers braving enormous traffic jams, thousands of kilometers, and exhaustion to make it home for the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.
Out of nearly 144 million Indonesians, or over half of the total population, who are expected to take part in the annual tradition this year, millions will take the highways of South Sumatra province, where security measures are heightened to oversee the safety of the travelers.
“We are deploying snipers to support security operations during the 2026 Eid homecoming period,” Maj. Gen. Ujang Darwis, chief of the military command in the province, told reporters.
“The National Police will be working together with us to ensure safety for the public, our officers will strengthen security throughout the exodus route and anticipate any potential crime.”
The snipers will be located along the Kayu Agung-Palembang-Betung highway, a key route for travelers to reach Sumatran cities from Lampung, a transit province connecting Java and Sumatra islands, he added.
Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi has said that South Sumatra has “a strategic position” as the “main hub for connectivity” on Sumatra island.
Across Indonesia, 161,000 security personnel are being deployed in 2,746 locations in the country as part of national security measures during the annual homecoming period, which will officially start on Friday.
More than 76 million Indonesians are expected to travel with private cars, while 24 million will be using motorbikes and another 23 million are traveling by bus.
Authorities are expecting the exodus to peak next Wednesday, when almost 22 million people will hit the road early to reach their hometowns before the first day of Eid.
Heightened security measures along Indonesia’s main roads will be in place until the end of the long holiday on March 25.
