External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar held bilateral talks with his counterparts from several Arab League member nations in New Delhi yesterday. The meetings were focused on enhancing bilateral ties and taking stock of the situation in West Asia. The talks came ahead of the second India-Arab League foreign ministerial meeting to be held in the National Capital today.
Dr Jaishankar held talks with the Foreign Ministers of Comoros, Libya, Somalia and Palestine. He also met Arabia League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. In his meeting with Mr Gheit, Dr Jaishankar, in a social media post, said he had a wide-ranging conversation about cooperation and strengthening across various domains. The Minister said that they also exchanged views on the recent developments in the region.
Dr Jaishankar described his meeting withthe Foreign Minister of Somalia, Abdisalam Ali, as productive, with their conversation focusing on advancing bilateral trade, capacity building, education, health, consular and multilateral cooperation.
In their meeting, the External Affairs Minister and his Libyan counterpart Eltaher Elbaour discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, business, infrastructure and energy. In a social media post, Dr Jaishankar said he appreciated Mr Elbaour’s briefing on the situation in Libya. He underscored India’s advocacy of dialogue and diplomacy for enduring peace and stability in the region.
In his meeting with Sudan counterpart Salim Ahmed Ibrahim, Dr Jaishankar reiterated India’s position for an end to violence in Sudan and return to dialogue. The External Affairs Minister said that they discussed the ongoing humanitarian support and exchanges in education and capacity building.
The External Affairs Minister also met the Foreign Affairs Minister of Palestine, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin. Dr Jaishankar said, during the meeting, both leaders reviewed development and cooperation between India and Palestine and agreed on initiatives to take it forward. He added that both sides had also exchanged their views on the Gaza Peace Plan and regional developments.
Dr Jaishankar and the Foreign Minister of Comoros, Mbae Mohamed, held a discussion on cooperation in health, sports, infrastructure and capacity building. During their meeting, both leaders agreed on the importance of more frequent engagements between the two sides.
