Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], September 9 (ANI): India and the Gulf Cooperation Council held a political dialogue on September 7-8, which saw them hold discussions on deepening cooperation across several areas of the Joint Action Plan, such as trade, security and energy amongst others.

The visit of Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (CPV&OIA), also saw a separate bilateral meeting with the General Coordinator for Negotiations and Head of the Negotiating Team of the GCC, where they underlined the importance of the India-GCC FTA and agreed on the commencement of negotiations at an early date, the MEA said in a statement on Monday.

As per the statement, Secretary (CPV&OIA) held wide-ranging discussions with his counterpart, Abdulaziz Aluwaisheg, Assistant Secretary General (ASG) for Political Affairs and Negotiations of GCC. He was accompanied by Additional Secretary (Gulf) Aseem R Mahajan.

India-GCC countries share historically close and friendly ties, underpinned by vibrant trade linkages and strong people-to-people ties.

In recent years, ties between India and GCC countries have deepened in various spheres including trade, investment, energy, health, technology and cultural exchanges.

Notably, a diaspora of nearly 10 million Indians resides in the GCC region. Trade and Investment between India and GCC continues to grow with total trade of around USD 178 billion in FY 2024-25, the statement underlined.

Secretary (CPV&OIA) and ASG reviewed the implementation of the India-GCC Joint Action Plan (JAP) 2024-2028, which was adopted at the first Joint Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue between India and the GCC held in Riyadh on September 8-9, 2024.

As per the MEA, the discussions focused on deepening cooperation across the various pillars of the JAP, such as political dialogue, security, trade & investment, agriculture & food security, transportation, energy, health, culture and education. In this context, they discussed avenues and initiatives in various areas to deepen the India-GCC cooperation and agreed to enhance high-level engagements and joint activities between India and GCC. The meeting also provided a good opportunity to exchange views and perspectives on regional and global issues of mutual interest.

The statement noted that Secretary (CPV&OIA) held a separate bilateral meeting with Raja M. Marzoqi, General Coordinator for Negotiations and Head of the Negotiating Team of the GCC. They underlined the importance of the India-GCC FTA and agreed on the commencement of negotiations at an early date. They also explored new avenues to deepen trade and investment ties between India and the GCC.

Secretary (CPV&OIA) also attended a special reception hosted by the Embassy of India and the Indian diaspora living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary (CPV&OIA) commended the valuable contribution made by the Indian community in strengthening the bilateral relations of India with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He also appreciated their significant role in the economic development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and thanked the leadership of Saudi Arabia for taking care of the welfare of the Indian diaspora. (ANI)