Jaishankar To Begin 6-Day Visit To Saudi Arabia, Germany, Switzerland On Sunday

External Affairs Minister S 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 $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 Sept. 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 next month.

"The external affairs minister will meet the German Federal Foreign Minister as well as the leadership and other ministers from the German government with an objective to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations," the MEA said.

On the third and final leg of his trip, Jaishankar will visit Geneva from Sept. 12 to 13.

"The External Affairs Minister will meet with heads and representatives of international organisations with whom India is actively engaged," the MEA said.

Geneva is home to a large number of UN bodies and international organizations. Jaishankar will also meet the Swiss Foreign Minister to review the close partnership between the two countries and explore avenues to enhance the bilateral relationship further, the MEA added.