First The Middle East, Then Europe – S Jaishankar’s Key Meetings This Week

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is currently in Saudi Arabia for a key Gulf summit, will travel to Germany and Switzerland later this week on an official visit.

Mr Jaishankar will reach Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday for a two-day official visit – his third visit as Foreign Minister to Berlin. The minister will meet the German Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock as well as the leadership and other ministers from the German government with an aim to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations between India and Germany, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

“Both India and Germany share a robust Strategic Partnership and Germany is one of India’s prominent trading partners and among the largest Foreign Direct Investors,” the MEA said. Mr Jaishankar is currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend the First India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. His visit comes as India looks to bolster its ties in West Asia, popularly called the Middle East.

The Gulf Cooperation Council is a political and economic union of six countries in the Gulf region- Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman. After his Germany visit, Mr Jaishankar will travel to Geneva, Switzerland, from September 12 to 13. Mr Jaishankar will meet the Swiss Foreign Minister to review the close partnership between the two countries and explore avenues to enhance the bilateral relationship further, according to the MEA.

Geneva is home to some of the most important international organisations and UN agencies, including the World Health Organisation, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Labour Organisation. The minister is expected to meet the heads and representatives of international organisations with whom India is actively engaged.

As the most populous country in the world and among the top 5 global economies, India has been vying for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council for years. Countries like Russia, France, the US, and the UK have endorsed India’s bid, with China being the only hindrance.