Events
2026-01-31
His Excellency the Secretary-General at the Second Session of the Ministerial Meeting of the Arab–Indian Cooperation Forum.
The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States participated in the opening of the second session of the Arab-Indian Cooperation Forum ministerial meeting, emphasizing the strengthening of bilateral cooperation and coordination on issues of mutual international interest.
Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, participated on 31 January in New Delhi in the opening of the second session of the ministerial meeting of the Arab-Indian Cooperation Forum.
The meeting was attended by His Excellency Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates and current Chair of the Council of the League of Arab States at the ministerial level, as well as His Excellency Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, in addition to Their Excellencies Arab Ministers.
Gamal Roshdy, Official Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, stated that Mr. Aboul Gheit delivered a speech during the meeting in which he expressed his appreciation to the Republic of India for hosting the second session of the ministerial meeting of the Arab-Indian Cooperation Forum.
He noted that the meeting is being held at a time when the world is experiencing a turbulent period marked by escalating geopolitical tensions, mounting economic challenges, and worsening humanitarian crises.
The spokesperson added that Mr. Aboul Gheit affirmed in his remarks that the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States is keen to support and strengthen Arab-Indian cooperation at all levels, particularly in light of the two Memoranda of Understanding signed between the two sides in 2008 and 2013.
He pointed out that the Forum encompasses a number of mechanisms and cooperative activities across various fields, and expressed hope that the meeting would yield positive outcomes that would undoubtedly represent an important milestone on the path towards building a strategic relationship contributing to prosperity and well-being for the peoples of both sides.
In his address, Mr. Aboul Gheit also referred to the fact that the Arab region has witnessed, over the course of two full years, a war that has transcended all moral and humanitarian restraints.
He noted that the war waged by Israel against the Gaza Strip and its population claimed the lives of nearly 72,000 Palestinians, stressing the urgent need to move immediately towards implementing the requirements of the second phase of the peace plan and not to allow the Israeli occupation to obstruct this process.
In concluding his remarks, Mr. Aboul Gheit affirmed that Arab-Indian coordination in international forums on issues of mutual concern is founded on mutual trust between the two sides and a shared aspiration for a more multipolar world based on the principle of justice rather than the logic of force.
It is noteworthy that, at the conclusion of the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, represented by Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General and Chief of the Secretary-General’s Office, and the Indian side, represented by Ambassador Raj Kumar, Dean of the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India.
The Memorandum aims to implement joint programmes to enhance the quality of training, as well as to strengthen the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and best practices in the application of modern educational methods used in diplomatic training, with a view to ensuring high standards of qualification and capacity-building in this field.
The meeting was attended by His Excellency Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates and current Chair of the Council of the League of Arab States at the ministerial level, as well as His Excellency Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, in addition to Their Excellencies Arab Ministers.
Gamal Roshdy, Official Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, stated that Mr. Aboul Gheit delivered a speech during the meeting in which he expressed his appreciation to the Republic of India for hosting the second session of the ministerial meeting of the Arab-Indian Cooperation Forum.
He noted that the meeting is being held at a time when the world is experiencing a turbulent period marked by escalating geopolitical tensions, mounting economic challenges, and worsening humanitarian crises.
The spokesperson added that Mr. Aboul Gheit affirmed in his remarks that the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States is keen to support and strengthen Arab-Indian cooperation at all levels, particularly in light of the two Memoranda of Understanding signed between the two sides in 2008 and 2013.
He pointed out that the Forum encompasses a number of mechanisms and cooperative activities across various fields, and expressed hope that the meeting would yield positive outcomes that would undoubtedly represent an important milestone on the path towards building a strategic relationship contributing to prosperity and well-being for the peoples of both sides.
In his address, Mr. Aboul Gheit also referred to the fact that the Arab region has witnessed, over the course of two full years, a war that has transcended all moral and humanitarian restraints.
He noted that the war waged by Israel against the Gaza Strip and its population claimed the lives of nearly 72,000 Palestinians, stressing the urgent need to move immediately towards implementing the requirements of the second phase of the peace plan and not to allow the Israeli occupation to obstruct this process.
In concluding his remarks, Mr. Aboul Gheit affirmed that Arab-Indian coordination in international forums on issues of mutual concern is founded on mutual trust between the two sides and a shared aspiration for a more multipolar world based on the principle of justice rather than the logic of force.
It is noteworthy that, at the conclusion of the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, represented by Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General and Chief of the Secretary-General’s Office, and the Indian side, represented by Ambassador Raj Kumar, Dean of the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India.
The Memorandum aims to implement joint programmes to enhance the quality of training, as well as to strengthen the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and best practices in the application of modern educational methods used in diplomatic training, with a view to ensuring high standards of qualification and capacity-building in this field.
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