Eam S Jaishankar Six Nation Tour Gulf Countries Us Belgium Iran Ceasefire Unsc

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to depart Sunday on a six-nation tour, visiting four Gulf countries impacted by the West Asia war — Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman — apart from the US and Belgium. The tour is scheduled from July 5 to 15, the Ministry said Saturday.

All these Gulf countries have hosted American military personnel, bases and military facilities for decades, and have been attacked by Iran as a retaliatory response against the US and Israeli military offensive that began in February.

Meanwhile, Qatar and Oman have also emerged as key mediators, along with Pakistan, in bringing about the Iran ceasefire.

In this geopolitical context, Jaishankar’s visit is timed to get a sense of the ceasefire and its aftermath. Announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs said Saturday that Jaishankar will be on an “official visit to Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman from July 5 to 10”. During the visit to these countries, the MEA said, he will be meeting with his counterparts and the leadership. “The visit will focus on enhancing our bilateral relations with the four countries and also provide an opportunity to exchange views on regional developments and issues of mutual interest,” the MEA said.

The US and Iran have concluded talks with Qatar and Pakistan’s mediators following a recent exchange of attacks that threatened negotiations for a lasting peace agreement. The indirect talks in Qatar’s capital Doha are set to continue “at the earliest possible time” after the funeral of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Huge crowds of Iranians gathered Saturday to pay respects to Khamenei’s casket at the state funeral.

Jaishankar’s visit follows the visit of the Indian delegation — consisting Bihar Governor Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margerita — at Khamenei’s funeral.

In this backdrop, Jaishankar’s visit will focus on getting a sense of the status quo so far as the US-Iran peace framework is considered. India also has robust energy ties with all these countries, and has a flourishing diaspora working and living there. India’s energy prices have gone up since the war disrupted supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.

Thereafter, Jaishankar is scheduled to head to the US to launch India’s official campaign for UN Security Council tenure 2028-29, in New York on July 13. The tenure also coincides with India’s Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held in 2029. India has been a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for eight terms (a total of 16 years), with the most recent being the 2021–22 term.

In the last leg of his tour, Jaishankar is expected to visit Brussels to attend the 3rd India–EU Trade and Technology Council Meeting and interact with his EU and Belgian counterparts on July 14-15. This is one of the key meetings after the two sides concluded the negotiations for the India–EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) earlier this year, with the EU yet to complete the formal approvals and legal vetting before the pact comes into force.

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More