Jaishankar, Portugal FM Hold Talks on West Asia, Ties
The two leaders exchanged views on the West Asia conflict and discussed ways to enhance cooperation between India and Portugal
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a telephonic conversation with Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel, focusing on the volatile situation in West Asia and strengthening bilateral ties.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Jaishankar said he had “a good conversation” with Rangel. The two leaders exchanged views on the West Asia conflict and discussed ways to enhance cooperation between India and Portugal.
This outreach comes amid broader diplomatic efforts to address regional instability. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held high-level talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko on Monday.
The discussions aimed at advancing wide-ranging cooperation and reinforcing the India-Russia strategic partnership in the context of the escalating West Asia conflict.
Following the meeting, Jaishankar said they spoke about further strengthening bilateral ties and reviewed regional and global developments.
According to Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, the India-Russia Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi covered the full spectrum of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, along with key bilateral and global issues.
These consultations are significant as disruptions in vessel movement through the Strait of Hormuz since early March have severely impacted India’s energy supply routes.
Imports from major suppliers such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait have declined sharply this month due to the situation.
The trade dynamics have also shifted after US President Donald Trump waived sanctions on buying oil from Russia following the outbreak of the West Asia conflict.
This comes after the US had earlier imposed tariffs of up to 50% on India for such imports, which were later withdrawn after a trade deal framework was announced in February.
Earlier on March 23, Jaishankar stressed the need to address non-tariff barriers and regulatory challenges to achieve a bilateral trade target of USD 100 billion by 2030.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised India’s independent foreign policy and said Moscow is preparing to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official visit later this year.
