Jaishankar Meets Comoros FM, Boosts Ties Ahead of India-Arab Summit

In a post on X, Jaishankar wrote, "A pleasure to meet Foreign Minister Mbae Mohamed of Comoros today. Discussed cooperation in health, sports, infrastructure and capacity building. Agreed on the importance of more frequent engagements between our two countries."

Just a day ago, Mohamed arrived in New Delhi to participate in the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting to be conducted on Saturday.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Foreign Minister's visit to the capital will further strengthen cordial relations between India and the Union of the Comoros.

Through his official X post, he said, "Warm welcome to Foreign Minister @Mmbae75 of Comoros on his arrival in New Delhi to attend the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers' meet. His visit will further strengthen the cordial relations between India and the Union of the Comoros."

According to the MEA brief, India established diplomatic relations with Comoros in June 1976, and the Embassy of India in Antananarivo is concurrently accredited to Comoros. India and Comoros enjoy close and friendly relations.

Both countries share similar views on several regional and multilateral issues. Comoros has been a member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) since 2012, and of the International Solar Alliance since 2017.

In Comoros, the Indian Diaspora comprises approximately 250 individuals, most of whom are engaged in trade, business, and other professions. Their role in Comoros's economic development is well recognised.

On Saturday, India will host the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting (IAFMM). The meeting will be co-chaired by India and the UAE. Foreign Ministers of other Arab League Member States and the Arab League Secretary General will participate in the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting, according to a press release from the Ministry of External Affairs.

According to the release, the Foreign Ministers' meeting is taking place after a 10-year hiatus. The first meeting was held in 2016 in Bahrain. At the first FMM, the Ministers identified five priority verticals of cooperation: economy, energy, education, media and culture and proposed a set of activities across these verticals.

The 2nd India-Arab FMM is expected to build on the existing cooperation, expanding and deepening the partnership.

The India Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting is the highest institutional mechanism driving this partnership, which was formalised in March 2002 when India and the League of Arab States (LAS) signed an MoU institutionalising the process of dialogue.

A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed to establish the Arab-India Cooperation Forum during the visit of the then Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa to India in December 2008, and was subsequently revised in 2013 to reflect a revised structural organisation. India is an Observer to the League of Arab States, a pan Arab body with 22 member States.

As per the release, this is the first India-Arab FMM to be hosted by India in New Delhi and will see participation by all 22 Arab countries by Foreign Ministers, other Ministers, Ministers of State and other Senior Officials and the Arab League. The IAFMM will be preceded by the 4th India-Arab Senior Officials' Meeting on Friday.

- ANI