New Delhi: India is set to host the second India Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on January 31, marking the revival of the high level dialogue after a gap of nearly ten years. The meeting will be jointly chaired by India and the United Arab Emirates and will bring together Foreign Ministers, Ministers of State and senior officials from all 22 member countries of the Arab League, along with the Arab League Secretary General.
The meeting comes a decade after the first India Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Bahrain in 2016. That inaugural gathering identified five key areas of cooperation including economy, energy, education, media and culture, and outlined a framework for structured engagement across these sectors. The upcoming meeting is expected to review progress made so far while identifying new opportunities to deepen and expand the partnership.
The India Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is the highest institutional mechanism guiding relations between India and the Arab world. The dialogue framework was formalised in March 2002 through a memorandum of understanding between India and the League of Arab States, establishing a regular platform for consultation. This engagement was further strengthened with the creation of the Arab India Cooperation Forum in 2008, which was later revised to reflect evolving regional and global dynamics.
This will be the first time India is hosting the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, underlining the growing strategic importance India places on its ties with Arab nations. The meeting will be preceded by the fourth India Arab Senior Officials’ Meeting, which will help shape discussions and outcomes at the ministerial level.
The agenda is expected to include enhanced economic collaboration, energy security, educational exchanges, media engagement and cultural connectivity, along with discussions on regional and global developments of mutual interest. Strengthening people to people ties and exploring new areas of cooperation in trade, investment and innovation are also likely to feature prominently.
Several visiting ministers have already arrived in India ahead of the meeting, reflecting strong participation and engagement from the Arab world. The renewed dialogue signals a shared commitment to reinforcing long standing relations and adapting the partnership to contemporary challenges and opportunities, as India and Arab nations look to build a more comprehensive and forward looking collaboration.
