Jaishankar visits Belgium to meet EU leaders amid West Asia conflict

External affairs minister S Jaishankar visits Brussels to meet EU leaders, discuss free trade deal and West Asia conflict with member states.

Published on: Mar 15, 2026, 21:04:09 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar, New Delhi

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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.

India’s Jaishankar in Belgium for EU Foreign Affairs Council talks, focusing on trade, regional security, and well-being of Indians in West Asia

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.

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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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