Second India-Arab Foreign Ministers' meeting was held in New Delhi on January 31, 2026, co-chaired by India and the UAE

Second India-Arab Foreign Ministers' meeting was held in New Delhi on January 31, 2026, co-chaired by India and the UAE

¨     The second India-Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in New Delhi on January 31, 2026, co-chaired by India and the UAE. This is the first India-Arab Foreign Ministers' meeting hosted by India in New Delhi.

¨     This is the first India-Arab Foreign Ministers' meeting hosted by India in New Delhi. Representatives from all 22 Arab countries participated in the event. Prior to the Foreign Ministers' meeting, the fourth India-Arab Senior Officials' Meeting was held in the national capital yesterday.

First India-Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting

¨     The India-Arab Foreign Ministers' meeting is taking place after a gap of 10 years. The first meeting was held in Bahrain in 2016, where the ministers identified five priority areas of cooperation.

¨     These are economy, energy, education, media, and culture. The second India-Arab Foreign Ministers' meeting is expected to further strengthen existing cooperation, expand this partnership, and deepen it.

¨     India-Arab trade exceeds US$240 billion. Bilateral hydrocarbon trade exceeds US$107 billion and accounts for almost half of the bilateral trade.

¨     India imports more than 95 percent of its LPG, 60 percent of its LNG, and 47 percent of its crude oil requirements from Arab League countries, in addition to more than 50 percent of its fertilizers and related products.

¨     Most of India's external trade passes through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. Indian companies invest in the energy sector in Oman, UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Algeria, Libya, and Morocco.

¨     This partnership extends to food and energy, financial services, health and education, IT, renewable energy, including start-ups and large infrastructure projects. More than 9 million Indian expatriates live in Arab League countries.

¨     During this time, Union Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh inaugurated the India-Arab Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in New Delhi.