2024-09-08 14:01:29
New Delhi : External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will leave on a six-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Germany and Switzerland on Sunday. The purpose of this visit is to promote overall bilateral relations and discuss regional and global challenges. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, he will first go on a two-day visit to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, where he will mainly attend the first meeting of the India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers.
The GCC is an influential group that includes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. India’s total trade with GCC countries stood at US$ 184.46 billion in FY 2022-23. Jaishankar is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of several GCC member countries in Riyadh.
Why is GCC important?
The Ministry of External Affairs said that India and the GCC have deep and multifaceted relations, including trade and investment, energy, cultural and people-to-people ties. The GCC region has emerged as a major trading partner for India and has a population of about 89 lakh Indian expatriate community here, the ministry said in a statement.
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It said the foreign ministers’ meeting will be an opportunity to review and deepen institutional cooperation between India and the GCC in various fields. From Riyadh, Jaishankar will travel to Berlin on a two-day visit from September 10 to 11. This will be his third bilateral visit to Berlin. The foreign minister’s visit to Berlin will lay the groundwork for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to India next month.
Discussion on bilateral relations in Germany
The External Affairs Ministry said the External Affairs Minister will meet the German Federal Foreign Minister as well as the leadership of the German government and other ministers with the aim of reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations. In the third and final leg of his visit, Jaishankar will visit Geneva from September 12 to 13. The External Affairs Ministry said the External Affairs Minister will meet heads and representatives of international organisations with which India is actively engaged. Geneva is home to the headquarters of a large number of UN bodies and international organisations.
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The Ministry of External Affairs said Jaishankar will also meet the Foreign Minister of that country to review the close partnership between the two countries and explore opportunities to further enhance bilateral relations.