India intensifies foreign affairs dialogue |
India is intensifying its foreign affairs dialogue with friendly countries and visits to India by foreign Ministers. Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on September 19 held “warm and fruitful discussions” with his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selakovic and both sides agreed to take forward their long-standing cooperation, especially in the economic sector. The Serbian Foreign Minister also held a meeting with the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi. The volume of bilateral trade was USD 142.7 million in 2016, which increased to USD 198.5 million in 2017, according to official data. The bilateral trade in 2018 was recorded at USD 214.8 million that comprised Indian exports of USD 202.6 million.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud held “productive discussions” with Indian Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri. Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi and the Indian Ambassador to Riyadh Ausaf Sayeed were also present at the dinner meeting. Prince Faisal called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is also likely to meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. During talks with External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar, both sides had a “useful exchange of views” on Afghanistan, the Gulf, and the Indo-Pacific, besides bilateral relations. Though India and most of the Gulf kingdoms have had centuries of traditional trading ties, political relations were never warm. Successive governments in India felt that Saudi Arabia was an ally of arch-foe Pakistan and therefore did not invest time and energy in cultivating Riyadh. But in the last two decades with the winds of change blowing across the world, both New Delhi and the Gulf kingdoms broke out of the mould and began exploring new engagements.
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