At G20 India, US, Saudi, UAE may join hands to connect West Asia with rail
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Leaders of the USA, India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are likely to announce a major joint infrastructure deal on Saturday to connect Gulf and Arab countries via a network of railways, US-based news website Axios reported on Thursday, citing sources.
The deal will also connect the rail network to India through shipping lanes from ports in the Gulf region.
The report also added that if Saudi Arabia and Israel normalise their relations in the future, Israel could also be part of the project.
An earlier report stated that the idea for the new initiative came up during I2U2 talks last year. This forum includes the US, Israel, the UAE and India. The idea was originally raised by Israel during one of the meetings.
Later, the Biden administration extended the idea to include Saudi Arabia.
The project is being seen as a counter to China's plans of expansion in West Asia under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
"The joint railway project is expected to be one of the key deliverables Biden wants to present during the G20 Summit in New Delhi this weekend," the report said.
If the four nations finalise the negotiations over the weekend, their leaders will sign a memorandum of understanding outlining the parameters of the project, it added.
It comes at a time when the Biden administration is trying to normalise relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel ahead of the 2024 presidential elections.
Top leaders from all three countries are visiting India to attend the G20 Summit. Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after he lands in New Delhi on Friday evening.
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