India and Saudi Arabia: Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Culture and Tourism Minister of India, and H.H. Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, signed the bilateral MoU on Cultural Cooperation on 09 November 2025 in Riyadh.
The MoU aims to strengthen cultural ties between two countries by fostering cooperation across a wide range of cultural fields, including arts, heritage, music, and literature. It focuses on promoting cultural exchanges, sharing regulatory and policy experiences, and facilitating participation in festivals and events. The MoU also encourages communication between cultural institutions and promotes the exchange of knowledge and practices related to the preservation of cultural heritage.
During the bilateral talks preceding the signing ceremony, the two Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to advance cultural cooperation across various domains and promote joint collaboration activities in the cultural field. While recognizing the deep historical ties between India and Saudi Arabia, built on long-standing cultural ties and people-to-people connections, the Ministers agreed that the signing of the MoU on cultural cooperation will give strong impetus to the growing momentum in cultural relations between the two countries.
The two Culture Ministers are also co-chairs of the newly created Ministerial Committee of Tourism and Cultural Cooperation under India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC), which was announced during the State Visit of Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India to Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in April 2025. Notably, this is the first bilateral meeting of the two Culture Ministers since the setting up of the Ministerial Committee on Tourism and Cultural Cooperation.
