External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar, was travelled to Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 08 – 09 of September, 2024, to attend the First India – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. During the visit, he was 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. 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 was an opportunity to review and deepen institutional cooperation between India and the GCC across various sectors.
On the second leg of the visit, External Affairs Minister was travelled to Berlin, Germany for a 2 – day visit from 10 – 11 September 2024. This was 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 was met with 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 was thereafter travelled 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 was met with heads and representatives of international organizations with whom India is actively engaged.
During the visit, EAM was also met with Swiss Foreign Minister to review the close partnership between the two countries and explore avenues to enhance the bilateral relationship further.