External affairs minister S. Jaishankar travelled to Belgium on Sunday to interact with his counterparts from the 27 member states of the European Union, marking his first foreign visit since the start of Israel and the US’s war against Iran last month.
Jaishankar, who is visiting Brussels at the invitation of European Union foreign and security policy chief Kaja Kallas, will participate in the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, the External Affairs Ministry said.
During the two-day visit, Jaishankar will also hold meetings with the leadership of the EU and his counterparts from Belgium and other EU member states.
His visit comes in the wake of the India-EU Summit in January, when the two sides concluded negotiations on a free trade deal, and is expected to deepen India’s strategic partnership with the EU.
Ahead of his departure for Brussels, Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to discuss the latest developments surrounding the conflict in West Asia.
Jaishankar said on social media that he and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan exchanged views on various aspects of the regional situation on Saturday night. He said in another post that he had discussed ongoing developments related to the conflict in West Asia with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday night.
{{/usCountry}}Jaishankar said on social media that he and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan exchanged views on various aspects of the regional situation on Saturday night. He said in another post that he had discussed ongoing developments related to the conflict in West Asia with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday night.
{{/usCountry}}During an ongoing outreach to the leadership of West Asian countries, the Indian government has emphasised the security and well-being of 10 million Indians living in the region. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are home to close to eight million Indians.