India In Talks With US, UAE And Saudi Arabia For Mega Rail, Port Connectivity Deal At G20 Summit: Report

Leaders from the US, India, Saudi Arabia, and other countries are engaged in discussions regarding a potential infrastructure deal involving rail and ports at the G20 Summit.

According to US news website Axios, this proposed major joint infrastructure project can be the significant initiative that the White House is pushing in the Middle East amid the growing influence of China in the region.

The Middle East is a key part of China's Belt and Road vision.

"President Biden and the leaders of India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates hope to announce a major joint infrastructure deal on Saturday that will connect Gulf and Arab countries via a network of railways," the Axios report said.

The Biden administration is actively pursuing a comprehensive deal with Saudi Arabia, which may encompass a normalisation agreement between the kingdom and Israel.

The aim is to finalise this agreement before the 2024 campaign begins to dominate President Biden's agenda.

According to sources cited in the Axios report, the project is expected to connect Arab countries in the Levant and the Gulf through a network of railways.

This ambitious initiative also aims to establish connections with India via seaports in the Gulf.

The project has been discussed over the past 18 months in a forum called I2U2, which includes the US, Israel, the UAE, and India.

The I2U2 forum, established in late 2021, serves as a platform for discussions on strategic infrastructure projects in the Middle East.

It also aims to counter Beijing's growing influence in the region.

During these talks, the idea of connecting the region through railways was proposed by Israel.

Part of the idea was to use India's expertise on such big infrastructure projects, Axios reported citing a source.

The Biden administration then expanded on the idea to include Saudi Arabia's participation.