New Delhi, Sep 7 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will be travelling to Saudi Arabia, Germany and Switzerland, from September 8-13. In Riyadh, the EAM will attend the first India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
During the visit, the EAM is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers from the GCC member countries, a statement said.
India and the GCC enjoy a deep and multifaceted relationship, in areas including political, trade and 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.
On the second leg of the visit, External Affairs Minister will travel to Berlin, Germany, for a two– day visit from Sep 10–11, in his third bilateral visit. 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 Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock 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 September 12-13. 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.
During the visit, EAM will also meet Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis to review the close partnership between the two countries and explore avenues to enhance the bilateral relationship further, the statement added.