Jaishankar arrives in Riyadh to attend India-Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

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

Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs, Abdulmajeed Al Smari, welcomed Jaishankar in Riyadh. Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia from September 8-9.

Upon arrival in Riyadh, Jaishankar, in a post on X stated, “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.”

During his visit to Riyadh, he is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with foreign ministers from GCC member countries, according to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release.

In its release, the MEA stated, “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,” it added.

After concluding his visit to Riyadh, Jaishankar is scheduled to travel to Germany for a two-day visit from September 10-11. This will be his first bilateral visit to Berlin.

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 his visit, EAM Jaishankar 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, according to the MEA release.

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

Notably, Geneva is home to a large number of United Nations bodies and international organisations, the release said. During the visit, the External Affairs Minister will meet with heads and representatives of international organisations with whom India is actively engaged, the release said.

During the visit, Jaishankar will also meet Switzerland’s counterpart to review the close partnership between the two nations and explore avenues to enhance the bilateral relationship further.