India's External Affairs Minister to arrive in Bahrain tomorrow

TDT I Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

India's External Affairs minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will undertake a visit to Bahrain, UAE and Seychelles from November 24 to 29, 2020. During the visit he will be meeting his counterparts and also the top leadership of these countries.

Dr. Jaishankar’s visit to Bahrain on November 24-25 will be his first visit to the country as External Affairs minister. He will personally convey condolences on behalf of the Indian Government and people of India to the Bahraini leadership on the sad demise of Prime Minister of Bahrain HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa on November 11. He will also hold talks on bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. Bahrain hosts more than 350,000 Indians and both countries have worked together to face the Covid-19 pandemic. Flights are operational between both countries under an air bubble arrangement.

Dr. Jaishankar will visit UAE on November 25-26. He is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister of UAE, HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on November 26. Both leaders will take forward the excellent cooperation between India and UAE under our comprehensive strategic partnership and exchange views on various regional and international issues. External affairs minister will also discuss ways for Indian workers to resume their jobs in UAE in the post-Covid scenario. More than 3 million Indians live and work in UAE.

India and UAE have maintained close high-level contacts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has spoken to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during the pandemic. EAM has also spoken to the UAE Foreign Minister several times in the past few months. They also co-chaired the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting in September 2020. A meeting of the High Level Task Force on Investments (HLTFI) was co-chaired by our Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways and Chairman, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) in early November.

In the last leg of his tour, Dr. S. Jaishankar will travel to Seychelles on 27-28 November 2020. He will call-on the newly elected President of Seychelles H.E. Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan to present greetings of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and discuss with him the priorities of the new Government and avenues for further strengthening India-Seychelles bilateral relations. Dr. S. Jaishankar will also hold bilateral consultations with the newly appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism H.E. Sylvestre Radegonde.