Arab leaders converge on Delhi for foreign ministers’ meeting
India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, highest institutional mechanism guiding India’s engagement with the Arab world, last met in 2016 in Bahrain
Senior Arab leaders and diplomats began arriving in New Delhi ahead of the 2nd India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (IAFMM), scheduled to be held on January 31, marking the resumption of the high-level dialogue after a gap of nearly a decade.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States (LAS), holding wide-ranging discussions on strengthening cooperation across sectors and exchanging views on recent regional developments.
Arab foreign ministers, including Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi and Libya’s Foreign Minister Eltaher S M Elbaour, were accorded a warm welcome on their arrival in the Capital.
The ministerial meeting, set to be co-chaired by India and the UAE, will see participation from foreign ministers and senior representatives of all 22 Arab League member states, along with the LAS Secretariat. This will be the first time India is hosting the India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
The IAFMM, the highest institutional mechanism guiding India’s engagement with the Arab world, last met in 2016 in Bahrain. It is expected to review cooperation in priority areas such as economy, energy, education, media and culture, while exploring new avenues amid evolving regional and global challenges. Officials said the meeting would provide renewed momentum to India’s strategic partnership with the Arab world, which remains vital for energy security, trade, investment and people-to-people ties.
