External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his counterparts from the UAE and Oman and discussed bilateral cooperation with them before the start of an international conference on the Indian Ocean that began here on Saturday. Jaishankar is here to attend the 5th Indian Ocean Conference on December 4-5. The theme of the Indian Ocean Conference 2021 is "Indian Ocean: Ecology, Economy, Epidemic".
Over two days, senior leaders from Indian Ocean littoral countries will cover the issues related to the region in the pre-conference workshops and plenary sessions, the India Foundation said. "A pleasant moment before the start of the Indian Ocean Conference with my counterparts from UAE (Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed) and Oman (Sayyid Badr Albusaidi)," Jaishankar said in a tweet.
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"A warm meeting with UAE FM @ AB Zayed in Abu Dhabi. Noted the steady progress in our bilateral cooperation. As always, his insights on global and regional developments were of great value," he said in another tweet.
There will be around 200 delegates and over 50 speakers from 30 countries. The inaugural address will be delivered by President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the think-tank said.
The conference is being organised in collaboration with the RSIS Singapore, Institute of National Security Studies, Sri Lanka, and the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, UAE, it added.
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Earlier, Jaishankar had extended his warmest greetings to UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the government and the people of the UAE on their 50th National Day.
"Our recent exchanges have reinforced the strength of our extraordinary friendship. Confident that our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is poised for new heights," he tweeted on December 2.