S Jaishankar arrives in Riyadh to attend First India – Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday arrived in Saudi Arabia’s capital city Riyadh to attend the First India – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

After arriving in the city, Jaishanakr posted on X: “Arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to take part in the First India – Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.”

“Thank Abdulmajeed Al Smari, Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs for the warm reception,” he said.

During the visit, he is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers from GCC member countries.

“India and the GCC enjoy a deep and multifaceted relationship, in areas including political, trade & investment, energy cooperation, cultural and people – to – people ties,” read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

The GCC region has emerged as a major trading partner for India and is home to a large Indian expatriate community, numbering around 8.9 million.

The Foreign Ministers meeting will be an opportunity to review and deepen institutional cooperation between India and the GCC across various sectors.

On the second leg of the visit, the External Affairs Minister will travel to Berlin, Germany for a 2 – day visit from 10 – 11 September 2024.

This will be his 3rd visit as Minister to Berlin. Both India and Germany share a robust Strategic Partnership and Germany is one of India’s prominent trading partners and among the largest Foreign Direct Investors.

During the visit, EAM will meet the German Federal Foreign Minister as well as the leadership and other Ministers from the German government with an objective to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations between India and Germany.

The External Affairs Minister will thereafter travel to Geneva, Switzerland for an official visit from 12-13 September, 2024.

“Geneva is home to a large number of UN bodies and international organizations. During the visit, EAM will meet with heads and representatives of international organizations with whom India is actively engaged,” the MEA statement said.

During the visit, EAM will also meet the Swiss Foreign Minister to review the close partnership between the two countries and explore avenues to enhance the bilateral relationship further.