New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) League of Arab States (LAS) Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to attend the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ and related meetings.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) extended a warm welcome to the Gheit, an Egyptian politician and diplomat.

“Pleased to welcome H.E. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, who arrived in New Delhi for the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ and related meetings. High level engagements over the next two days reflect the shared commitment for a stronger India-Arab partnership across sectors,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X.

Earlier in the day, Comoros Foreign Minister Mbae Mohamed, Palestine Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin and Sudan’s Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim also arrived in New Delhi to attend the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers Meeting.

India is set to host the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (IAFMM) on January 31. The meeting being hosted by India and United Arab Emirates will have participation of Foreign Ministers of other Arab League Member States and Arab League Secretary General.

The IAFMM will be preceded by 4th India-Arab Senior Officials’ Meeting on Friday.

The second India-Arab Foreign Ministers Meeting is expected to build on existing cooperation and expanding the partnership. The IAFMM will be preceded by 4th India-Arab Senior Officials’ Meeting on January 30.

The Foreign Ministers’ meeting is taking place after 10 years as the first meeting was held in Bahrain in 2016. During the first Foreign Ministers Meeting, the leaders identified five priority verticals of cooperation – economy, energy, education, media and culture and proposed a set of activities across these verticals.

“India Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is the highest institutional mechanism driving this partnership, which was formalised in March 2002 when India and League of Arab States (LAS) signed an MoU institutionalizing the process of dialogue,” the MEA stated.

“A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed for the establishment of Arab-India Cooperation Forum during the visit of the then Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa to India in December 2008, which was subsequently revised in 2013 in terms of structural organization. India is an Observer to the League of Arab States, a pan Arab body with 22 member States,” it added.

–IANS

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