EAM Jaishankar extends Independence Day greetings to Malta, Belize, Armenia

Taking to social media site X, Jaishankar wished his Malta counterpart and Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg and said, "Felicitations to DPM & FM Ian Borg and the Government and people of Malta on their Independence Day. Will continue efforts to further strengthen our friendly relations."

In a separate post, Jaishankar congratulated Belize Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca and called for reaffirmation of their commitment to "advancing South-South cooperation."

"Congratulate FM Francis Fonseca and the government and people of Belize as they celebrate their Independence Day today. Reaffirm our commitment to advancing South-South cooperation," he said.

He also expressed his warm greeting to the Armenian Foreign Minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, on the occasion of Armenia's Independence Day.

"Warm greetings to FM Ararat Mirzoyan and the people of Armenia on their Independence Day. Look forward to advancing our cooperation," Jaishankar said in another post in X.

India and Malta enjoy friendly, cordial relations, with India being one of the first countries to recognise the independence of Malta in 1964. Both countries established diplomatic relations with themselves in 1965.

India-Malta bilateral relations have been friendly, with a number of visits having been exchanged between the two sides.

India and Belize have traditionally enjoyed friendly and cordial relations based on our shared values, mutual regard and broad understanding of diverse issues, including in the international forum. India and Belize established diplomatic relations on March 28, 1983.

Both countries are strong democracies and share commonalities such as membership in NAM and the Commonwealth, an English-speaking population and a love for cricket.

With Armenia, India shares friendly relations rooted in historical ties between the people of the two countries. India recognised Armenia on December 26, 1991, and India's Ambassador in Moscow was concurrently accredited to Armenia. The Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between both countries was signed back on August 31, 1992, in Moscow.

In 2024, Armenia's Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan participated in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 from January 10 and January 12. EAM Jaishankar met Armenian FM Mirzoyan on February 18 on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

During the 9th edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF-2023) from January 17 and January 20, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), India & National Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of Armenia (NCIE). (ANI)