Paris. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar met French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Summit here and said he valued the discussion and his insights. “It was an honor for me to meet French President Emmanuel Macron last night,” Jaishankar said in a social media post on Saturday.

The Foreign Minister said that he extended hearty greetings to Macron on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I value the discussions and their insights,” Jaishankar said as he arrived at the Abbey de Vaux-de-Serne in France on Thursday to attend a two-day meeting of G7 foreign ministers with partner countries.

Although India is not a member of the G7, France, the current chair of the powerful group, has invited it as a partner country. In his address at the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in France on Thursday, Jaishankar raised concerns over energy, food and fuel security of countries in the ‘Global South’, and also stressed the urgent need for global governance reforms.

The External Affairs Minister also spoke about the importance of strong trade corridors and supply chains, in the backdrop of uncertainties arising from the ongoing conflict in West Asia. During the G7 meeting, Jaishankar held separate talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, German Foreign Minister Johann Wedfull and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha.

It is understood that the issue of West Asia crisis figured prominently in this conversation. Jaishankar also met Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. The G7 brings together the world’s seven most advanced economies – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US.

The European Union is also a member of this group. Apart from India, France has invited Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Brazil. The G7 serves as the preferred forum for its members to discuss and coordinate action in response to major economic, financial and geopolitical challenges on the global stage.

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