PM Modi meets Jordanian King Abdullah II

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met King Abdullah II of Jordan in Riyadh and the two leaders exchanged views on working closely together to strengthen the bilateral ties in different sectors, specially in trade and investment. The two leaders met in the Saudi capital on the sidelines of the high-profile 'Future Investment Initiative', a key financial forum dubbed as 'Davos in the Desert'. "Both leaders exchanged views on working closely together to strengthen our ties across sectors, specially in trade & investment, human resource development & people-to-people ties," Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

Read: PM Modi Kickstarts Saudi Arabia Visit By Meeting Minister, Jordan King

PM to speak at financial forum

The two leaders met last month on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York. Both Prime Minister Modi and the Jordanian King will speak at the financial forum, which will also host financiers, governments, and industry leaders who would discuss global trade and explore the trends, opportunities, and challenges shaping the global investment landscape over the coming decades. Jordan is home to more than 10,000 Indians, who are employed in different sectors such as textile, construction and manufacturing, fertilizer companies, health sector, universities, IT, financial companies and multilateral organizations.

Read: PM Modi: India & Saudi Arabia To Form 'Strategic Partnership Council'

India-Jordan ties

India has long-standing ties with Jordan and the Modi government has shown a marked preference for strengthening the relationship with the country.  Modi had met King Abdullah for the first time on the sidelines of the UNGA in September 2015. This was followed by a visit by the then-president Pranab Mukherjee to Jordan in October 2015, the first by an Indian head of state to the Middle East nation. India has been donating money for humanitarian assistance to the country.

Read: India And Saudi Arabia To Sign Multiple Key Pacts To Ramp Up Ties