New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS) Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, United Arab Emirates’ Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrived in New Delhi on Saturday to attend the second India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (IAFMM).

Welcoming the UAE leader, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) took to X and stated: “His visit will further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UAE.”

Earlier on Friday, Foreign Ministers of Libya, Eltaher S M Elbaour, Somalia, Abdisalam Ali, and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, arrived in New Delhi to participate in the second IAFMM.

The MEA extended a warm welcome to the delegates, noting that their visit would help strengthen the bilateral partnership between India and the respective countries.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday, met League of Arab States Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit in New Delhi to discuss strengthening cooperation between the two sides across various sectors.

Following their talks, EAM Jaishankar posted on X, “A warm meeting with Secretary General, League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit this morning. Had a wide ranging conversation about our cooperation and strengthening it across various domains. Also exchanged views on the recent developments in the region.”

EAM Jaishankar also held separate meetings with Foreign Ministers of Comoros Mbae Mohamed; Sudan Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim; Libya Eltaher S.M. Elbaour; Somalia Abdisalam Ali; and Palestine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Varsen Aghabekian.

The discussions centred on enhancing the bilateral cooperation and deepening collaboration across several sectors.

India is set to host the second IAFMM on Saturday. The meeting, being hosted by India and the United Arab Emirates, will have the participation of Foreign Ministers from other Arab League Member States and the Arab League Secretary General.

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

The second India-Arab Foreign Ministers Meeting is expected to build on existing cooperation and expand the partnership.

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 the League of Arab States (LAS) signed an MoU institutionalising the process of dialogue,” the MEA stated.

–IANS

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