International Desk

New Delhi. Taking an important step towards further strengthening India’s strategic presence in the Indian Ocean region, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met Comoros Foreign Minister Mbaye Mohammed. There were detailed discussions between the two leaders on enhancing cooperation in key areas such as health, sports, infrastructure and capacity building.

Sharing information about the meeting on the social media platform ‘X’, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar wrote that he was happy to meet the Foreign Minister of Comoros and agreed on the importance of maintaining regular high-level contacts between the two countries. He said that this conversation is going to give a new direction to India-Comoros relations.

Comoros Foreign Minister Mbaye Mohammed has arrived in New Delhi to attend the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which is scheduled to be held on Saturday. In this context, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the visit of the Comoros Foreign Minister to India will further strengthen the cordial and friendly relations between the two countries.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India established diplomatic relations with Comoros in the year 1976. The Indian Embassy in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, is also accredited to Comoros. The two countries have long enjoyed close and friendly relations and have similar views on many issues in regional and multilateral fora.

Comoros is a member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) since 2012 and the International Solar Alliance since 2017, which is considered important for cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. There are approximately 250 Indian nationals living in Comoros, who are active in trade, business and various professions and are contributing significantly to the economic development of the country.

It is noteworthy that India is hosting the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers Meeting (IAFMM), which will be co-chaired by India and the United Arab Emirates. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Foreign Ministers of Arab League member countries and the Secretary General of the Arab League will also attend this meeting. This meeting is taking place after a gap of about 10 years. Earlier, the first India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ meeting was held in Bahrain in 2016.

In the first meeting, economy, energy, education, media and culture were identified as five priority areas of cooperation. Now the second meeting is expected to give new impetus to cooperation in these areas, which will strengthen both India’s role and influence in the Indian Ocean region.