Manila, July 23 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Thursday held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Papua New Guinea and Brunei on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Manila, with discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation and expanding engagement in key sectors.
During his meeting with Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Minister Justin W. Tkatchenko, EAM Jaishankar underscored India’s readiness to support the development priorities as well as maritime security of Pacific Island nations.
The two leaders also discussed deepening bilateral cooperation, including through the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC).
Sharing the details of the meeting, the EAM took to X and posted: “Pleasure to meet FM Justin W. Tkatchenko of Papua New Guinea in Manila. Philippines , ASEAN. Spoke about bilateral cooperation including through the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC). India stands ready to partner with the Pacific Island Countries for their development and capacity building priorities, while supporting their maritime security.”
EAM Jaishankar also met Brunei’s Foreign Minister Abdul Mateen, during which both sides explored expanding cooperation in emerging technologies and agreed to take forward the bilateral partnership under India’s Act East Policy while deepening engagement through ASEAN.
“A warm meeting with FM Prince Abdul Mateen of Brunei. Congratulated him on assuming his current responsibilities. Conveyed that rapidly changing technology, including AI, drones, digital, has opened new vistas of engagement. Also agreed to advance bilateral agenda in line with India’s Act East Policy and further strengthen our multilateral engagements under ASEAN,” the EAM posted on X.
Earlier in the day, the EAM held discussions with foreign leaders on the sidelines of the ARF, engaging with counterparts from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as well as the European Union’s top diplomat.
During the engagements, EAM Jaishankar met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman to discuss matters on the sidelines of the regional forum.
Following the meetings, the External Affairs Minister shared details of the interactions in a post on X, stating, “Glad to meet FM Vijitha Herath of Sri Lanka and FM Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh during the ARF meeting.”
Apart from his meetings with the South Asian leaders, Jaishankar also held talks with the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas.
Sharing an update on the meeting, EAM Jaishankar posted on X, “Good to catch up with EU HRVP Kaja Kallas.”
–IANS
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