External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Palestine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Varsen Aghabekian, in New Delhi on January 30, 2026. The discussions focused on development cooperation, the Gaza Peace Plan, and key regional developments. After the meeting, Jaishankar shared on X that both sides had exchanged views on advancing cooperation and agreed on new initiatives to strengthen the partnership.
Aghabekian arrived in India the previous day to participate in the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, reaffirming the strong ties between India and Palestine as well as their shared commitment to collaboration within the Arab world. She highlighted that the visit underscores the long-standing partnership and India’s role in regional diplomacy.
The 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, co-hosted by India and the United Arab Emirates on January 31, will include participation from other Arab League member states and the Arab League Secretary General. The summit aims to build on existing cooperation and further expand collaboration in strategic areas. It will be preceded by the 4th India-Arab Senior Officials’ Meeting.
This high-level meeting comes ten years after the first India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Bahrain in 2016, where leaders had identified five priority areas: economy, energy, education, media, and culture. India’s engagement with the League of Arab States, formalized in 2002 through a Memorandum of Understanding, continues to serve as the highest institutional mechanism driving the partnership.
Additionally, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed in 2008 to establish the Arab-India Cooperation Forum, later revised in 2013 to improve its structural organisation. India currently holds observer status in the Arab League, which comprises 22 member states, further cementing its ongoing diplomatic and strategic engagement with the Arab world.
