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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held a lunch meeting with Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Manila and exchanged views on regional and global developments.
Sharing details of the interaction, Jaishankar said in a post on X, "Had a good lunch conversation with FM Vivian Balakrishnan of Singapore this afternoon in Manila. Always appreciate his insights and assessments on the region, as also on global developments." The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers' meetings in Manila, where Jaishankar is participating in several multilateral engagements under the ASEAN framework. Jaishankar is in the Philippines for Foreign Minister-level meetings, including the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting, East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers' Meeting and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meetings. Prior to his meeting with his Singaporean counterpart, Jaishankar held a series of high-level bilateral engagements on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related meetings. He met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and reiterated India's "strong concern" over the safety of Indian seafarers following the attack on commercial vessel MV Golden Leo, which claimed the lives of four Indian nationals. "An in-depth review of our bilateral relations with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Reiterated our strong concern regarding the safety of Indian seafarers in the region," Jaishankar said in a post on X, adding that the two sides also discussed trade and investment, energy and connectivity, science and technology, mobility, as well as the Ukraine conflict and the Gulf situation. Jaishankar also held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during which he said a stable and cooperative India-China relationship based on "mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity" could make a "valuable contribution" to a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world. Stressing that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remain a prerequisite for normal ties, he said recent steps such as the resumption of direct flights, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and border trade were welcome, while noting that issues including fair market access, trade balance and supply chain predictability also required attention. The External Affairs Minister later met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the two leaders discussing priority areas of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, including trade and tariffs, energy, defence and security, critical minerals and artificial intelligence, besides exchanging views on regional, global and multilateral issues. The meeting coincided with the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting, where the four countries reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and support for ASEAN centrality. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar also met Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Philippines Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro. He said he followed up with Wong on the outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Australia and looked forward to the Quad meeting. During his talks with Lazaro, the two sides discussed strengthening the India-Philippines Strategic Partnership, focusing on trade and investment, education, defence and security, maritime cooperation, capacity building and recent developments in the Indo-Pacific. (ANI)
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