External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday (local time) met Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa during the first leg of his four-day visit to Portugal and Italy to bolster India's bilateral ties with the key European countries.
During the meeting, Jaishankar discussed contemporary challenges with Costa and appreciated his guidance for further development of India-Portugal relations. He also conveyed the warm greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Pleasure to meet Prime Minister @antoniocostapm today. Conveyed the warm greetings of PM @narendramodi. Discussed contemporary challenges and appreciated his guidance for the further development of our ties," said the External Affairs Minister on X.
Earlier, he held "productive talks" with his Portuguese counterpart Joao Cravinho here during which they discussed the progress in bilateral economic cooperation and exchanged views on West Asia, Ukraine, Central Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
"Noted the progress in our bilateral economic cooperation. Appreciated the sustained political exchanges and Portugal’s support for India-EU ties. Transformations underway in India can help take our partnership to a higher level. Cooperating on the global workplace and the digital domain offer great potential. Exchanged views on West Asia, Ukraine, Central Asia and the Indo-Pacific," he said.
Jaishankar also met Augusto Santos Silva, President of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, in Lisbon to discuss the cooperation of two democracies "in a volatile world".
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India and Portugal have growing and mutually beneficial relations in all spheres which have strengthened over time. The EAM is expected to meet members of the Portugal-India Parliamentary Friendship Group, and the Indo-Portuguese and Indian community in Portugal.
After this, Jaishankar will travel to Italy for a two-day bilateral visit and will meet his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, Minister of Defence and Minister for 'Made in Italy'. He will also address the Joint Session of the Senate’s External Affairs and Defence Commission, and EU Affairs Commission and the India-Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group, and meet the members of the Indian community.
The relationship between the two countries was elevated to 'Strategic Partnership' during Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's visit to New Delhi in March.
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