Crucial India-Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Riyadh on Monday

Riyadh: External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar will on Monday attend the First India–Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh that will take place on the sidelines of the 161st Ministerial Council meeting scheduled to be chaired by Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, President of the current session of the Ministerial Council.

The ministerial meeting, which will be held at the headquarters of the GCC General Secretariat, will be attended by the foreign ministers of the GCC countries.

Besides India, the GCC Cooperation Council will also hold strategic dialogue with Russia and Brazil which will see participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.

Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi, the Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, emphasised that the GCC Ministerial Council will discuss several reports regarding the implementation of decisions made by the Supreme Council of the GCC during the 44th Summit held in Doha in December 2023.

The Council will also review memoranda and reports submitted by the ministerial and technical committees and the General Secretariat, as well as topics related to dialogues and strategic relations between the GCC countries and various nations and global blocs. Discussions on latest regional and international developments affecting the region will also be discussed.

"The joint meetings with the Russian, Indian, and Brazilian delegations reflect the GCC countries' commitment to exploring and opening new horizons for cooperation. These meetings aim to strengthen strategic relations with countries and organisations worldwide. Several topics will be discussed in various fields that serve the common interests of both sides and yield benefits for their peoples," said a statement issued by the Secretary General's office on Sunday.

Earlier, EAM Jaishankar, who arrived in Riyadh early Sunday on the first leg of his three-nation tour, was welcomed by Abdulmajeed Al Smari, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs. He will be holding a series of bilateral meetings with the 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. 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," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

After concluding his engagements in Riyadh, Jaishankar will travel to Berlin on a two-day visit starting September 10 which will be his third bilateral visit to Germany.

"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 MEA stated.

The External Affairs Minister will thereafter travel to Geneva, home to a large number of UN bodies and international organisations, on the last leg of his tour.

"During his Switzerland visit, Jaishankar will meet with heads and representatives of international organisations with whom India is actively engaged. The 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," the MEA detailed.