India to host 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministers meet on January 31

New Delhi, Jan 29: India will host the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministersí Meeting (IAFMM) on Saturday, January 31, 2026, marking a significant step in strengthening its engagement with the Arab world, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The meeting would be co-chaired by India and the United Arab Emirates, and would be attended by foreign ministers from member states of the League of Arab States (LAS), along with the Secretary General of the Arab League.

The foreign ministersí meeting would be preceded by the 4th India-Arab Senior Officialsí Meeting (SOM) on January 30.

The upcoming meeting comes after a gap of nearly a decade, with the inaugural India-Arab Foreign Ministersí Meeting having been held in 2016 in Bahrain.

During the first meeting, the two sides identified five priority areas of cooperation ñ economy, energy, education, media and culture – and outlined initiatives across these sectors. The second meeting is expected to build on that framework by further expanding and deepening cooperation. The India-Arab Foreign Ministersí Meeting is the highest institutional mechanism guiding Indiaís partnership with the Arab world.

The framework was formalised in March 2002 through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the League of Arab States to institutionalise dialogue.

A Memorandum of Cooperation establishing the Arab-India Cooperation Forum was later signed during the visit of then Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa to India in December 2008, and revised in 2013 to strengthen its organisational structure.

India currently holds observer status in the Arab League, a pan-Arab body comprising 22 member states across North Africa and the Middle East.

This will be the first time India is hosting the India-Arab Foreign Ministersí Meeting in New Delhi, with all 22 Arab countries expected to be represented by foreign ministers, other ministers, ministers of state and senior officials, along with representatives of the Arab League.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers and senior officials from 20 Arab countries have already confirmed their participation, and dignitaries have begun arriving in the capital.

Welcoming the visiting Palestinian foreign minister, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X, ìWarm welcome to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine H E @VarsenAghShahin, as she arrives in India to participate in the 2nd India-Arab Foreign Ministersí Meeting. The visit reaffirms Indiaís partnership with the people of Palestine and the Arab world.î

In another post, Jaiswal welcomed Sudanís foreign minister, saying, ìDelighted to welcome H E Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Republic of Sudan, for the second India-Arab Foreign Ministersí Meeting. The visit will further strengthen people-to-people ties between India and Sudan.î

According to the MEA, participants include representatives from Palestine, Sudan, Egypt, Djibouti, Algeria, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Somalia, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, Libya, Mauritania, Iraq, and Oman, along with officials from the Arab League.

India has traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations with the Arab League, with ties dating back centuries through trade, cultural exchanges and diplomatic engagement across the Arabian Sea and overland routes linking India with West Asia. Formed in Cairo in March 1945, the Arab League today comprises 22 member states.

Highlighting the economic dimension, the MEA said India-Arab trade exceeds USD 240 billion, with Arab nations supplying around 60 percent of Indiaís crude oil imports and more than half of its fertiliser requirements.

Cooperation spans sectors including energy, food security, finance, health, education, information technology, renewable energy, and infrastructure. More than 9 million Indians live and work across Arab League countries, playing a vital role in strengthening people-to-people ties and economic engagement, the ministry said.

JOINT FIGHT AGAINST TERROR

Meanwhile, India and Saudi Arabia held the third meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Security Working Group in Riyadh, under the Political, Consular, and Security Cooperation Committee of the Strategic Partnership Council, reaffirming their shared commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms. The meeting was co-chaired by Joint Secretary (Counter-Terrorism) in Indiaís Ministry of External Affairs, Vinod Bahade, and Director General of Legal Affairs and International Cooperation at the Saudi Ministry of Interior, Ahmed Al-Eissa.

Both sides strongly condemned terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, and denounced the terrorist attack on civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, as well as the terror incident near Delhiís Red Fort on November 10, 2025. The two delegations carried out a comprehensive review of ongoing security cooperation and discussed threats posed by terrorist groups at the global level and in their respective regions. They exchanged views on strengthening cooperation to address existing and emerging challenges, including countering extremism and radicalisation, tackling terror financing, preventing the misuse of technology for terrorist activities, and addressing the nexus between transnational organised crime and terrorism. Discussions also covered ways to further enhance bilateral legal, judicial and law enforcement cooperation. It was agreed that the next meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Security Working Group will be held in India on a mutually convenient date.