External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who met representatives of Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, termed the current situation in Gaza as of 'foremost concern'. India, he said, 'condemns acts of terrorism and hostage taking' and supported a ceasefire.
A deadly conflict has been raging between Israel and Gaza since October 7 last year, when armed Hamas gunmen raided parts of Israel and killed several innocents. Israel responded with heavy missile attacks.
The Minister, while co-chairing the first India–GCC joint ministerial meeting for strategic dialogue, said, "We have consistently stood for resolution of the Palestinian issue through a two-state solution."
The current situation in Gaza is now understandably our foremost concern," Jaishankar said, adding: "We are deeply pained by the continuing death of innocent civilians. We support a ceasefire as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, at the meeting, India and GCC adopted a 'joint action plan'. Jaishankar said India looked forward to the early conclusion of a free-trade agreement with the GCC and offered what he termed as a framework of 3Ps – People, Prosperity and Progress.
The joint action plan encompasses activities in fields such as health, trade, security, agriculture and food security, transport, energy, culture, among others, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The other co-chair besides Jaishankar was Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed Jassim Al Thani, who is the current President of the GCC Ministerial Council.
The GCC is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of the states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. As many as 9 million Indians live and work in these countries, making the diaspora an important part of the outreach.
The GCC Secretariat said, "Investments of GCC countries in India reached approximately $6 billion in various projects." There are substantial joint investment opportunities in renewable energy sectors, the GCC added.
EAM Jaishankar also held separate bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar and the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
In separate meetings with his counterparts from Russia and Brazil, Jaishankar and Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, discussed various issues. Jaishankar shared a picture of Lavrov and himself on X, saying: "A useful conversation with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia today on the sidelines of the GCC meeting."
The picture was also tweeted by the Russian Foreign Ministry via its Telegram channel. Following a meeting with Mauro Vieira, Foreign Minister of Brazil, Jaishankar tweeted via X, "Discussed G20, BRICS and the Ukraine conflict."
Speaking during a session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok last Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed India, Brazil, and China as perhaps serving as brokers in the conflict.
Read also| Quad Summit Set for Delaware This Month; India Expected to Host Next Year
