External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar met Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in New Delhi on Friday to discuss strengthening cooperation between India and the Arab League across a wide range of sectors.
Following the meeting, EAM Jaishankar said in a post on X, “A warm meeting with Secretary General, League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit this morning. Had a wide-ranging conversation about our cooperation and strengthening it across various domains. Also exchanged views on recent developments in the region.”
Gheit arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to attend the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (IAFMM) and related engagements.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) extended a warm welcome to the Arab League chief. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X, “Pleased to welcome H.E. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, who arrived in New Delhi for the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ and related meetings. High-level engagements over the next two days reflect the shared commitment to a stronger India-Arab partnership across sectors.”
India will host the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (IAFMM) on January 31. The meeting will be co-chaired by India and the UAE. Foreign Ministers of all Arab League Member States and Arab League Secretary General will participate in the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
Notably, the Foreign Ministers’ meeting is taking place after a gap of 10 years, the first meeting being held in 2016 in Bahrain. At the first FMM, the Ministers identified five priority verticals of cooperation: economy, energy, education, media and culture and proposed a set of activities across these verticals.
“The 2nd India-Arab FMM is expected to build on our existing cooperation, expanding and deepening this partnership,” the MEA said in a statement.
“India Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is the highest institutional mechanism driving this partnership, which was formalised in March 2002 when India and League of Arab States (LAS) signed an MoU institutionalizing the process of dialogue,” the MEA added.
A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed for the establishment of Arab-India Cooperation Forum during the visit of the then Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa to India in December 2008, which was subsequently revised in 2013 in terms of structural organization. India is an Observer to the League of Arab States, a pan Arab body with 22 member States.
(With IANS inputs)
The post EAM Jaishankar, Arab League chief discuss strengthening cooperation appeared first on DD India.
