Jaishankar attends EU Foreign Ministers’ informal meeting in Cyprus, holds key bilateral talks

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the EU Foreign Ministers’ informal Gymnich meeting in Cyprus, discussing emerging multipolar order and cooperation. He also held bilateral talks with counterparts from Spain, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, and the EU on trade, security, and regional developments

Nicosia: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar participated in the Informal Meeting of the European Union (EU) Foreign Ministers’ in Cyprus on Thursday.

During the meeting, the ministers discussed opportunities, practical collaborations and their shared interests in the emerging multipolar order.

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“Great to be in Limassol to join the informal Gymnich meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Ministers. Our partnership with EU and the region continues to deepen across a wide range of domains. Discussed opportunities, practical collaborations and our shared interests in the emerging multipolar order,” EAM Jaishankar posted on X.

Jaishankar had been invited to attend the EU’s Informal Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers (Gymnich) in Cyprus’s Limassol on May 27-28.

On the sidelines of the meeting, EAM Jaishankar met his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares, with discussions held on trade, technology, defence and people-to-people ties.

“A pleasure to meet FM Jose Manuel Albares of Spain on sidelines of Cyprus Gymnich meeting today. Discussed further steps for our trade, technology, defence and P2P ties. Appreciate his views on ongoing global and regional developments,” Jaishankar wrote on X. EAM Jaishankar also met his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, where the two sides discussed the Ukraine conflict and explored ways to deepen bilateral cooperation.

Following the meeting, Sybiha took to X and said: “In Cyprus, I had a meaningful meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. We discussed Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and the battlefield developments — in particular, Ukraine’s growing initiative.”

“Our message is clear: we want to end this war and achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace. We also exchanged views on peace efforts and the importance of stronger global engagement. As Europe steps up its responsibility, we would welcome India’s strong voice and input. We also discussed strengthening Ukraine-India bilateral relations and agreed to maintain regular dialogue on issues of mutual interest,” he added.

EAM Jaishankar held a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, where the two sides exchanged views on the regional development in West Asia.

Sharing the details of the interaction on X, Jaishankar said: “A good meeting with FM HH Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. Appreciate his assessments and insights on the evolving situation in West Asia/Middle East.”

During his talks with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, the External Affairs Minister discussed India-EU cooperation and the geopolitical situation in West Asia.