Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Saturday from Washington on a two-day bilateral visit to Saudi Arabia on the third and final leg of his three-nation tour.This is the first prime ministerial visit to the oil-rich Gulf kingdom since the visit of then prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2010.Modi was received at the King Khalid International Airport by Governor of Riyadh Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Al Saud.“Salaam Riyadh. PM @narendramodi arrives in Saudi Arabia to a ceremonial welcome, received by the Governor of Riyadh,” external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted.
Modi is scheduled to meet with representatives of the nearly three million-strong expatriate Indian community later on Saturday.He will be accorded a ceremonial welcome on Sunday afternoon at the Royal Court here by Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.King Salman will also host a lunch in honour of the visiting prime minister.This will be followed by delegation-level talks and the signing of agreements.During Modi's visit, ties between India and Saudi Arabia are expected to be further elevated from the current strategic partnership to a more broad-based one.Modi will leave for India late Sunday afternoon.During the course of his three-nation tour, he attended the 13th India-European Union (EU) Summit in Brussels, held a bilateral meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and took part in the Fourth Nuclear Security Summit hosted by US President Barack Obama in Washington.