Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, yesterday morning as part of his West Asia tour. He was accorded a warm welcome at Riyadh International Airport in what is his second visit to the Gulf nation. It may be recalled that Modi visited Saudi Arabia i 2015 as well.

Modi has been invited to represent India, which is a ‘special invitee’ to the summit of world leaders to take place today. The Prime Minister is likely to deliver a lecture on technological growth. The conference features oil producing and exporting countries alone and invitation to India as a ‘special invitee’ is seen as a result of India’s friendly relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Modi is all set to visit the palace of Saudi’s crown Prince Mohammad-bin-sayad Al Nahyan. This is the first time a foreign dignitary is allowed access to the palace. This again is seen as Saudi Arabia’s ‘out-of-protocol’ friendly gesture in acknowledging India’s help in various sectors.

The Indian Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for construction of a Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi. “Through this temple, Indians’ greatness in architecture would be known to the whole world. Everyone get to know how our temples look like; it would be a symbol of pride proclaiming the richness of Indian tradition and history,” said Modi and added that a Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi is a ‘huge achievement’.