External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met foreign ministers of several countries, including Canada, Russia, China and the US, on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings in Manila. Important issues like bilateral cooperation, security of Indian sailors and border were included in the discussion.
manila [फिलीपींस]July 22 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Manila on Wednesday. During this, the discussion focused on taking forward bilateral cooperation and achieving the goals set for India-Canada relations by the Prime Ministers of both the countries.
Discussion regarding India-Canada cooperation
Sharing details of the meeting, Jaishankar said in a post on The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related foreign ministers’ meetings in Manila, where Jaishankar is participating in several multilateral programs under the ASEAN framework.
Jaishankar is in the Philippines for foreign minister-level meetings, including the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meetings.
Also met foreign ministers of many countries
Ahead of the meeting with his Canadian counterpart, Jaishankar held a lunch meeting with Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Manila and exchanged views on regional and global developments. Jaishankar also held several high-level bilateral meetings on the sidelines of ASEAN-related meetings.
Russia expressed concern over the safety of Indian sailors
He met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and reiterated India’s “deep concern” over the safety of Indian sailors following the attack on the commercial vessel MV Golden Leo in which four Indian nationals lost their lives. “Thoroughly reviewed our bilateral relations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Reiterated our deep concern regarding the safety of Indian sailors in the region,” Jaishankar said in a post on Twitter. He said the two sides also discussed trade and investment, energy and connectivity, science and technology, mobility, as well as the Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Gulf.
Emphasis on normal relations with China
Jaishankar also held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during which he said a stable and cooperative India-China relationship based on “mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity” can make “valuable contributions” to a multipolar Asia and a multipolar world. Emphasizing that peace and stability in the border areas remains a pre-condition for normal relations, he said that recent steps such as resumption of direct flights, Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and border trade are welcome, noting that issues such as fair market access, trade balance and predictability of supply chains also need to be addressed.
India-America partnership was also discussed
The External Affairs Minister later met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in which the two leaders discussed priority areas of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, including trade and tariffs, energy, defense and security, critical minerals and Artificial Intelligence. Apart from this, views were also exchanged on regional, global and multilateral issues. The meeting coincided with the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, where the four countries reaffirmed their commitment to support a free and open Indo-Pacific and the centrality of ASEAN.
Bilateral talks also with Australia and Philippines
Earlier in the day, Jaishankar met Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Philippines Foreign Secretary Hon. Also met Theresa P. Lazaro. He said he discussed with Wong the outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Australia and looked forward to the Quad meeting. During his talks with Lazaro, both sides discussed strengthening the India-Philippines strategic partnership, focusing on trade and investment, education, defense and security, maritime cooperation, capacity building and recent developments in the Indo-Pacific. (ANI)
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