EAM Jaishankar discusses global issues, economic cooperation with European counterparts

United Nations: In his whirlwind diplomacy here, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar met with four European foreign ministers to discuss global issues and economic cooperation.

The bilaterals were packed between three meetings with groups of foreign ministers from the Global South on Wednesday (local time).

EAM Jaishankar said on X that during his meeting with the Netherlands Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen, they exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict and followed up on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to The Hague in May.

During the visit, the two countries upgraded their ties to the level of Strategic Partnership.

The Netherlands, Slovenia and Finland are members of the European Union with which India reached a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in January that is to be formalised in December and that figured in the separate meetings with foreign ministers of those countries.

Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and EAM Jaishankar "exchanged notes on current geopolitical and technology challenges", he said on X.

"Our bilateral relations and cooperation in the European Union remain strong," he added.

Slovenia's Foreign Minister Tone Kajzer said on X after their meeting, "We have an interest in strengthening bilateral strategic/political and economic/investment cooperation."

"We are working on a visit to India with a sector-focused economic delegation," he said.

EAM Jaishankar wrote that they spoke about the emerging trade and investment opportunities "as we move towards the actualisation of the India-EU FTA".

They "also discussed energy, manufacturing, digital, connectivity, defence and multilateral dimensions of our relationship", he said.

In the bilateral meeting with Andorra's Foreign Minister Imma Tor Faus, EAM Jaishankar said they discussed issues of trade and investment, climate change and Artificial Intelligence.

"Also talked about our multilateral cooperation", he wrote.

During the day, the External Affairs Minister had a series of multilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of the 15-member CARICOM of Caribbean countries; the 14-member Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation; and L.69, the group of over 30 Global South countries working for Security Council reform, at which the leader of the C-10 African group also participated.

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