US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan recently met with heads of UAE, Saudi Arabia and India in Riyadh, lending credence to a report that the three Asian countries are getting together to create a major railway network, Arabian Business reported.
American news website Axios, on Friday reported that the US is discussing plans for the railway network, as one of its key initiatives in the Middle East to counter China’s growing influence in the region.
A White House readout said the leaders and NSA officials met “in Saudi Arabia to advance their shared vision of a more secure and prosperous Middle East region interconnected with India and the world.”
Axios, through two unnamed sources, said the major joint infrastructure project would connect the Arab countries via a network of railways that would also be connected to India via shipping lanes from ports in the region. A US official told the website that the project will be one of many topics discussed during the visit.
According to the sources, the idea for the new initiative came up during talks that were held over the last 18 months in another forum called I2U2, which includes the US, Israel, the UAE and India. President Joe Biden’s administration expanded on the idea to include Saudi Arabia.
Axios also said that its request for comments from the Indian, Emirati and Saudi embassies in Washington were not met.
