In Paris, EAM S Jaishankar will meet with counterparts from Bangladesh, South Korea, the Czech Republic, and the European Union.

*Paromita Das

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with counterparts from Bangladesh, South Korea, the Czech Republic, and the European Union in Paris, where they discussed issues of common concern and ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Jaishankar, who arrived in France from Germany on Sunday for a three-day visit, has met with counterparts from other Indo-Pacific countries participating in the EU Indo-Pacific Forum. Dr. AK Abdul Momen, Jaishankar’s Bangladeshi colleague, met with him.

“I had a good discussion with Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, Dr. AK Abdul Momen. It’s fitting that it’s on International Mother Language Day. It was noted that 2021 was a fantastic year for the couple.

“I’m committed to pushing it to the next level in 2022,” he tweeted following the meeting.

On Monday, he met with his South Korean counterpart, Chung Eui-yong. “I met with Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong.” We have agreed to expand our bilateral collaboration. Travel convenience is a common priority. “We also talked about regional problems of mutual interest,” Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Jaishankar also had a meeting with his Czech counterpart.

“It was a pleasure to meet Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.” As a member of the Trio, he was involved in EU-related matters. “I appreciate his dedication to enabling an extended partnership,” Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting, along with a photograph.

Jaishankar tweeted following his meeting with EU Commissioner for International Relations Jutta Urpilainen, “A nice chat with EU Commissioner for International Relationships Jutta Urpilainen.”

“A nice talk about collaborating in Africa, strengthening green alliances, and increasing connectivity.” “Cooperation between India and the EU is progressing on several fronts,” Jaishankar stated.

Earlier in the day, the Foreign Minister met with French Defense Minister Florence Parly. “It was a pleasure to meet with Defence Minister @florence parly.” We address current events as trustworthy strategic partners. The convergence of our perspectives and interests was palpable.

He tweeted during the meeting, “Affirmed our commitment to collaborate on new and upcoming security concerns.”

Jaishankar came to Paris on the same day that French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a marathon telephonic chat to settle the Ukrainian crisis amid fears of a Russian invasion of the eastern European country.

On Sunday, Jaishankar met with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and addressed critical regional and global problems, including the India-EU relationship, as well as perspectives on the situation in Afghanistan, the Iranian nuclear deal, and the Ukraine crisis.

Jaishankar and Drian also reaffirmed their shared commitment to multilateralism and a rules-based order, and pledged to coordinate on topics of mutual interest at the UN Security Council.