New Delhi [India], January 31 (ANI): UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, on Saturday arrived in New Delhi for the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
Randhir Jaiswal, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said that his visit aims to strengthen the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with a focus on mutual interests and cooperation. The meeting provides a platform to discuss regional and global issues, further strengthening bilateral ties.
"A warm welcome to H.E. Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE, on his arrival at Delhi, for India-Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting today. His visit will further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UAE," he posted on X.
Earlier, Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, arrived in New Delhi on Friday for the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers' meeting.
His visit aims to strengthen the strategic partnership between Qatar and India, with a focus on shared interests and cooperation.
In a post on X, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said, "Warm welcome to H.E. Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, on his arrival in New Delhi to attend the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers' meeting. His visit will further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries."
The meeting comes amid growing diplomatic efforts to strengthen India-Arab relations, with a focus on economic, energy, and security partnerships.
The second India-Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting kicks off today in New Delhi, co-chaired by India and the UAE. This meeting, happening after a decade, brings together 22 Arab nations to boost ties. Key focus areas include economy, energy, education, and culture.
India-Arab trade is robust, totalling $240 billion, with hydrocarbons accounting for $107 billion. The Arab League is crucial for India's energy security, accounting for 95% of LPG, 60% of LNG, and 47% of crude oil imports.
The partnership spans energy, finance, healthcare, IT, and infrastructure, with 9 million Indians living in Arab nations.
The Foreign Ministers' meeting is taking place after a 10-year hiatus. The first meeting was held in 2016 in Bahrain. At the first FMM, the Ministers identified five priority verticals of cooperation: economy, energy, education, media and culture and proposed a set of activities across these verticals.
The 2nd India-Arab FMM is expected to build on the existing cooperation, expanding and deepening the partnership.
The 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.
A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed to establish the Arab-India Cooperation Forum during the visit of the then Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa to India in December 2008, and was subsequently revised in 2013 to reflect a revised structural organisation.
India is an Observer to the League of Arab States, a pan Arab body with 22 member States.
This is the first India-Arab FMM to be hosted by India in New Delhi and will see participation by all 22 Arab countries by Foreign Ministers, other Ministers, Ministers of State and other Senior Officials and the Arab League. (ANI)