EAM Jaishankar in Saudi Arabia for first India-GCC foreign ministers' meet

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday to participate in the First India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

The EAM received a warm welcome from Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs Abdulmajeed Al Smari in Riyadh.

After his arrival, EAM Jaishankar took to the social media platform X and said, "Arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to take part in the First India - Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Thank Abdulmajeed Al Smari, Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs for the warm reception."

During his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia (September 8-9), EAM Jaishankar is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers from GCC member countries.

"India and the GCC enjoy a deep and multifaceted relationship, in areas including political, trade & investment, energy cooperation, cultural and people–to-people ties. 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," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

After concluding his Riyadh visit, Jaishankar will travel to Berlin for a two-day visit starting September 10 which will be his third bilateral visit to Germany.

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.

On September 12, the External Affairs Minister will travel to Geneva, home to a large number of UN bodies and international organisations, for an official visit.