External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to attend G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting in France

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will be on a two-day visit to Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay, France, to attend the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with partner countries.

The visit, scheduled on March 26-27, comes at the official invitation of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean-Noël Barrot.

According to the official press release of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the EAM is also expected to hold bilateral discussions with his counterparts on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
While India is not a member of the G7, France, the bloc’s current chair, has invited it to join as a partner country. In addition to India, France has also invited Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Brazil.

The session will address the escalating West Asia crisis, with a focus on coordinating international efforts to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open for global shipping, as per a report in PTI.

The meeting is attended by top diplomats from the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

According to a background briefing by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) will discuss significant global concerns such as the war in Ukraine, reconstruction efforts, maritime security, and global governance reform, reported ANI.

Pascal Confavreux, spokesperson for the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, stated that the upcoming meeting will be held soon after an informal gathering of ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. He noted that the discussions will act as a preparatory step for the G7 Leaders’ Summit.

According to the briefing, “All this culminates in the preparation of the summit of Evian. It will take place between the 13th and 15th of June.”

The summit will focus on both immediate emergencies and long-term structural issues.  “Obviously, in the way that we will try as much as we can, not only to have this informal gathering of what is generally speaking a G7 meeting, but also to have some concrete results,” the official said.

A substantial emphasis will be on Ukraine, with sessions planned on reconstruction and broader regional stability. The sessions will also cover maritime security and global supply chains. On governance reform, the G7 intends to push for more effective multilateral structures.

Ministers from non-G7 partners, including India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Ukraine, have been invited to participate in the sessions, scheduled for Thursday and Friday.