G20 Summit: India, US, Saudi, UAE May Sign Railway Deal To Connect Middle East, Say Reports

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, and leaders of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are likely to announce a major infrastructure deal to connect India and the Arab countries via a network of railways and shipping ports. According to several reports, the joint infrastructure deal could be announced during the G20 summit in New Delhi, to be held on September 9-10. 

According to an Axios report on Thursday, the project is one of the key initiatives US President Biden is pushing in the Middle East to counter China’s influence in the region. Notably, the Middle East is a key part of China’s Belt and Road vision. Reports citing US officials involved in talks said that the project will connect Arab countries in the Levant and the Gulf via a network of railways that will also connect to India through seaports in the Gulf. However, the work on the announcement is still ongoing and it is not final yet. It noted that if the four countries complete the negotiations in the next two days, their leaders will sign a MoU outlining the parameters of the project. 

According to a Reuters report, the project could reduce shipping times, cost, and the use of diesel and make trade faster and cheaper. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden are set to meet on Friday evening. According to the news agency, Biden could also meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

According to the Axios report, the project first came up during the I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE, and USA ) forum meeting. During the I2U2 meetings held over the past year, Israel introduced a proposal for establishing railway connections in the region, as per sources. This proposal also incorporated India’s extensive experience in managing large-scale infrastructure projects. Subsequently, the Biden administration further developed this concept by suggesting the involvement of Saudi Arabia.

In May, Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, during his trip to Saudi Arabia met with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and India. During this meeting, the railway project was the central topic of discussion. Subsequently, meetings led by Biden’s senior adviser for energy and infrastructure, Amos Hochstein, further developed the project. 

According to a report by the Associated Press, the project would involve ship transit between India and Saudi Arabia, then trains through Saudi Arabia and the UAE, likely to Jordan, and then ship transit to Turkey and onward from there by train, 

Saudi Normalising Ties With Israel 

According to reports, if Saudi Arabia and Israel normalise their ties, the Jewish country could also be part of the project. According to AP, then the trains from Jordan could cross into Israel at Beit She’an and arrive at the Haifa port.

The news agency noted that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier talked about the possibility of a train linking Israel to Saudi Arabia. The Axios report said, via this project, the US government is seeking to complete its diplomatic push for a mega-deal with Saudi Arabia that could include normalisation of ties between the gulf nation and Israel.