In a renewed push to strengthen ties with the Arab world, New Delhi is set to host a high-level diplomatic gathering later this month. The meeting marks an important step in reviving structured dialogue between India and Arab nations after a long pause.
India will host the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on January 31. The meeting will be co-chaired by India and the United Arab Emirates. Foreign ministers from Arab League member states will attend, along with the Arab League Secretary-General. This will be the first such meeting in 10 years, with the previous one held in Bahrain in 2016.
The upcoming meeting is expected to build on cooperation areas identified during the first edition. These include economy, energy, education, media, and culture. Officials aim to deepen partnerships across these sectors and strengthen long-term collaboration. The India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting remains the highest institutional mechanism guiding this partnership, which was formally established in March 2002 through a Memorandum of Understanding between India and the League of Arab States.
The foundation for broader cooperation was further strengthened in December 2008, when a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed during the visit of then Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa to India to establish the Arab-India Cooperation Forum. This agreement was revised in 2013 to introduce a new structural framework. India also holds Observer status at the League of Arab States, which consists of 22 member countries. All 22 Arab nations are expected to participate in the meeting. The event will be preceded by the 4th India-Arab Senior Officials’ Meeting on Friday.
Ahead of the meeting, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sudan, He Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim. He said the visit would strengthen people-to-people ties between India and Sudan. Jaiswal also welcomed Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates from Palestine. “The visit reaffirms India’s partnership with the people of Palestine and the Arab world,” he said.
Discussions also come at a time when countries are focusing on expansion in low Earth orbit and pushing reusable technology to make future missions cheaper. There is also talk of a “New School of Interstellar Navigation” to support lunar exploration efforts following the Chang’e-6 moon mission.
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