A delegation from Sudan arrived in India for the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (IAFMM). Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday said he was “delighted to welcome” H.E. Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim, Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, noting that the visit would further strengthen people-to-people ties between the two nations.
In a post on X, he wrote: “Delighted to welcome H.E. Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Republic of Sudan, for the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The visit will further strengthen people-to-people ties between India and Sudan.”
India and Sudan share longstanding relations. In December last year, the two countries held the first round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Juba, Sudan’s capital, discussing a wide range of issues including capacity building, human resource development, cooperation in health, technical and vocational training, trade, and people-to-people exchanges. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral ties and agreed that the next FOC would be held in New Delhi at a mutually convenient date.
India will host the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Saturday, co-chaired by India and the UAE. The meeting will bring together Foreign Ministers of Arab League member states and the Arab League Secretary General. This is the first India-hosted FMM in New Delhi, held after a 10-year gap since the first meeting in Bahrain in 2016, which identified five priority areas for cooperation: economy, energy, education, media, and culture.
The IAFMM aims to build on existing cooperation, expanding and strengthening the partnership between India and the Arab world. Established as a formal mechanism in March 2002, India has been an observer to the League of Arab States, which comprises 22 member countries. During the visit of then Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa in 2008, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed to establish the Arab-India Cooperation Forum, later revised in 2013 to reflect updated structures.
The 2nd IAFMM will be preceded by the 4th India-Arab Senior Officials’ Meeting on Friday and will see participation from all 22 Arab countries through Foreign Ministers, Ministers of State, senior officials, and the Arab League Secretariat. (Agencies)
