Jaishankar to embark on 6-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Germany, Switzerland from Sunday
Jaishankar will on Sunday embark on a six-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Germany and Switzerland with a larger aim to boost overall bilateral ties and deliberate on pressing regional and global challenges. He will first travel to the Saudi capital Riyadh on a two-day trip primarily to attend the first India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers' meeting, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The GCC is an influential grouping comprising the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. The total volume of India's trade with GCC countries stood at USD 184.46 billion in the financial year 2022-23.
In Riyadh, Jaishankar is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of several GCC member countries.
The MEA said India and the GCC enjoy a deep and multifaceted relationship, including in areas of trade and investment, energy, 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,» it said in a statement.
«The Foreign Ministers meeting will be an opportunity to review and deepen institutional cooperation between India and the GCC across various sectors,» it said.
From Riyadh, Jaishankar will travel to Berlin for a two-day visit from September 10 to 11. This will be his third bilateral visit to Berlin.
The external affairs minister's visit to Berlin is set to prepare grounds for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's trip to India
