On 31 January, 2026, the second India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in New Delhi under the co-chairmanship of India and the UAE. This is the first India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting hosted by India in New Delhi.
- The second India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held on 31 January, 2026 in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by India and the UAE. Foreign Ministers of Arab League member countries and the Secretary-General of the Arab League participated in this meeting.
- This is the first India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting hosted by India in New Delhi. Representatives of all 22 Arab countries participated in this event. Prior to the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the fourth India–Arab Senior Officials’ Meeting was held yesterday in the national capital.
First India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
- The India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is being held after a gap of 10 years. The first meeting was held in Bahrain in the year 2016, where 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 take forward existing cooperation, expand this partnership and deepen it.
- India–Arab trade exceeds USD 240 billion. Bilateral hydrocarbon trade exceeds USD 107 billion and accounts for nearly half of bilateral trade.
- India imports over 95 percent of its LPG, 60 percent of LNG and 47 percent of crude oil from Arab League countries, besides over 50 percent of 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 spans 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 Countries Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in New Delhi.
History of India–Arab FMM
- The India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is the apex institutional mechanism advancing this partnership, which was formalised in March 2002 when India and the League of Arab States (LAS) signed an MoU to institutionalise the dialogue process.
- In December 2008, during the visit of the then Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa to India, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed for the establishment of the Arab–India Cooperation Forum, which was later revised in 2013 with reference to its structural organisation.
- According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India is an Observer in the League of Arab States, a pan-Arab body comprising 22 member countries.
Major upcoming events
- Reaffirmed commitment to implement the Forum’s Executive Programme for 2026–2028, which includes the following:
- 2027 – 5th Senior Officials’ Meeting in one of the Arab States;
- (ii) Second Arab–India University Presidents’ Conference in Ajman, UAE in February, 2026;
- (iii) 7th Arab–India Partnership Conference in one of the Arab States in 2026;
- (iv) First India–Arab Startup Conclave in India in 2027;
- (v) Third session of the India–Arab Cultural Festival in India in 2026;
- (vi) Third Arab–India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in one of the Arab States in 2028;
- (vii) First Arab–India Health Partnership Conference in one of the Arab States in 2026;
- (viii) First meeting of the India–Arab Space Cooperation Working Group in India in 2027;
- (ix) Third Arab–India Energy Forum in one of the Arab States in 2027;
- (x) First India–Arab Agriculture and Food Security Partnership Conference in India in 2027;
- (xi) First India–Arab Tourism Working Group Meeting in India in 2026;
- (xii) First India–Arab Counter Terrorism Working Group Meeting in India in 2026.
