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The 4th round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Portugal took place in New Delhi on Wednesday.
It was co-chaired by Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, and Ambassador Rui Vinhas, Director General for Foreign Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Portugal, according to an official release of the Ministry of External Affairs. The two sides reviewed bilateral relations with focus on following up on discussions held during the visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to Portugal in October 2023. "The FoC focused on political relations, deepening of trade and investment, cooperation in defence, science and technology, energy, tourism, training of diplomats, culture and people to people relations. Both sides also stressed on early implementation of the pilot project on the Recruitment of Indian Citizens to work in the Portuguese Republic, as well as holding of the first India - Portugal Consular Dialogue," the MEA release read. Moreover, discussions on the joint commemoration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025 were also held. They reviewed the ongoing cooperation between India and Portugal on the development of the Maritime Heritage Complex in Lothal, Gujarat. "Both sides expressed happiness at the forthcoming meeting of JWG on Defence in Feb 2024 and decided to hold the next Joint Economic Commission at an early date. They also called for early scheduling of JWG on Agriculture and Renewable energy. Discussions were also held on undertaking projects through triangular cooperation," the release read. "A review of agreements under negotiation including on air connectivity, youth mobility, visa waiver for official passport holders and mutual recognition of academic qualifications was also undertaken," it added. The two sides also discussed global and regional challenges, such as Gaza and Ukraine, and decided to continue their strong collaboration in multilateral fora, including the United Nations. India and Portugal have long-standing and cordial bilateral ties based on common ideals such as democracy and sustainable development, which are fostered by regular high-level exchanges. The fifth FoC will be convened in Lisbon on a mutually agreeable date. (ANI)
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