Paris, March 26 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met his counterparts from South Korea, Canada and Japan on the sidelines of G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in France on Thursday.
During their meeting, EAM Jaishankar and his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand discussed advancing bilateral ties and developments in West Asia.
"Continued my conversation with FM Anita Anand to advance our bilateral agenda. Also discussed developments in West Asia," EAM Jaishankar posted on X following the meeting.
EAM Jaishankar also held a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun and stated that he looked forward to advancing partnership between the two nations.
"Productive meeting with FM Cho Hyun of RoK. Look forward to further advancement of our partnership," he wrote on X.
EAM Jaishankar also met his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi.
"Always nice to meet my friend FM Toshimitsu Motegi, this time on the sidelines of G7 FMM," he posted on X.
Earlier in the day, EAM Jaishankar arrived in France to attend the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
"Arrived at Abbaye des-Vaux-de-Cernay, France to participate in G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with Partner Countries. Was received warmly by Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot of France for my first bilateral," EAM Jaishankar posted on X.
EAM Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to France to participate in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with Partner Countries at the invitation of Barrot. The meeting is set to deliberate on a range of pressing global issues, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and conflict in West Asia.
In a statement, France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs stated, "On Iran and the Middle East, the partners will seek avenues for negotiation to encourage de-escalation, while promoting the security of civilian populations, the re-opening of maritime and trade routes and the cessation of the Iranian regime’s nuclear and ballistic programmes."
"On Ukraine, the G7 partners will reiterate their support for Kyiv in terms of energy and capabilities, and will step up pressure on Russia, especially regarding its shadow fleet," it added.
The ministers will also address several regional situations, including the Indo-Pacific, Sudan, Haiti, Gaza, and Venezuela and Cuba, in light of the events which have taken place since the start of 2026.
According to the statement, France and its partners are seeking to work together to raise funds internationally to repair Chernobyl’s confinement structure, which was severely damaged by a Russian strike in 2025, and to organise a regional conference to combat the trafficking of synthetic drug Captagon in Syria. The ministers will also discuss regional economic integration in the Middle East.
"The Ministers will establish a G7 task force to work on creating a network of ports in G7 countries and other partner countries to step up the fight against drug trafficking. Another priority will be to organise a regional security conference in the Caribbean in Martinique in July 2026, convening countries in the region and G7 partners to step up the fight against drug trafficking in the region, and to organise the fifth 'No Money for Terror' conference, to be held in Paris on 19 May 2026 to combat terrorist financing. Finally, we will discuss securing critical mineral supply chains, following on from the discussions held under the Canadian G7 Presidency," the statement added.
--IANS
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