External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will be visiting France and Belgium this week for meetings with the leadership of the two nations and the European Union (EU), to strengthen bilateral relations and bring attention to India’s zero tolerance policy with regards to terrorism.
Jaishankar will visit the nations from June 8 to 14, for meetings with his counterparts from France and Belgium, as well as the first ministerial strategic dialogue with EU Foreign and Security Policy Chief Kaja Kallas, and in accordance with a release issued by the ministry of external affairs on Sunday.
He will be travelling to Paris and Marseille for meetings with French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot. Along with engaging with the senior leadership of France, and engagements with think tanks, Jaishankar will also speak at the inaugural edition of the Mediterranean Raisina Dialogue in Marseille.
The engagements will provide Jaishankar an opportunity to brief interlocutors on India’s military strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled territories in apparent retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, as well as the New Delhi’s new strategy to combat terrorism.
India and France’s bilateral relations, described as “rooted in the trust and commitment of a strategic partnership” and strong cooperation in all strategic domains, are also now 25 years old, the external affairs ministry said.
In Brussels, Jaishankar will hold a first ministerial strategic dialogue with EU high representative and vice president, Kaja Kallas, as well as engage with senior leadership in the European Commission and European Parliament and meet with think tanks.
The strategic partnership between India and the EU was given a big boost when the EU college of commissioners made its first visit to New Delhi in February, during which the two sides set the year end as the deadline to finalize a free trade agreement.
During his visit to Belgium, Jaishankar will also have bilateral consultations with Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevot and meet with Belgium’s senior leadership.
India and Belgium share friendly relations and have a strong economic partnership. Their bilateral relationships include collaboration in trade, investment, green energy, technology, pharmaceuticals, and in the diamond sector.
Jaishankar’s visit is likely to deepen India’s ties with the EU, with France and Belgium, and revitalise the on-going cooperation across various areas, the ministry indicated.
