External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, will travel to Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from September 8 to 9, 2024, to attend the First India - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting. During the visit, he is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers from GCC member countries, the Ministry of External Affairs in a press release said.
India and the GCC enjoy a deep and multifaceted relationship, in areas including political, trade and investment, energy cooperation, cultural and people-to-people ties. Notably, the GCC region has emerged as a major trading partner for India and is home to a large Indian expatriate community, numbering around 8.9 million. The Foreign Ministers meeting will be an opportunity to review and deepen institutional cooperation between India and the GCC across various sectors.
On the second leg of the visit, Jaishankar will travel to Berlin, Germany for a two - day visit from September 10 to 11, 2024. This will be his third bilateral visit to Berlin. 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 release added.
During the visit, EAM will meet the German Federal Foreign Minister as well as the leadership and other Ministers from the German government. The objective of the visit will be to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations between India and Germany.
The External Affairs Minister will thereafter travel to Geneva, Switzerland for an official visit from September 12 to 13, 2024. Notably, Geneva is home to a large number of UN bodies and international organisations. During the visit, Jaishankar will meet with heads and representatives of international organisations with whom India is actively engaged, the MEA release said.
During the visit, EAM will also meet the Swiss Foreign Minister to review the close partnership between the two countries and explore avenues to enhance the bilateral relationship further.