New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held extensive talks with his Andorran counterpart Maria Ubach Font, following which the two sides inked a bilateral pact for friendship and cooperation.
Font, the foreign minister of the principality of Andorra, was on a two-day visit to India from Sunday.
It was the first-ever foreign ministerial visit between the two nations since diplomatic ties were established in 1994.
The tiny principality of Andorra is located in the high mountains of the Pyrenees between France and Spain.
“Delighted to welcome FM @mubachfont on the first ever official bilateral visit from Andorra to India,” Jaishankar said on Twitter.
“The Friendship and General Cooperation Agreement that we signed today will further enhance our cooperation in political, economic & commercial, health, tourism and other domains,” he said.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the joint declaration of intent for ‘friendship and general cooperation’ lays the framework for cooperation on education, culture, science, information, youth, sports, tourism, diplomacy, health and other areas.
“Both countries will encourage the conclusion of agreements in specific fields of mutual interest in future,” it said in a statement.
The MEA said Jaishankar thanked the Andorran foreign minister for its support to India’s positions and candidatures at multilateral fora.
“The external affairs minister congratulated Andorra for their leadership on the UN Mountain Partnership initiative and admission to the IMF,” it said.
Jaishankar and Font also discussed Andorra’s efforts to upgrade its relationship with the European Union, besides exchanging views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, it added.
“This first-ever ministerial-level official visit from Andorra to India is of historical significance and reflects India’s desire to engage with all states as we celebrate 75 years of independence,” the MEA said.
Font also met NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery and discussed a possible collaboration in tackling global challenges such as climate change.
The visiting foreign minister also interacted with industry representatives at the Confederation of Indian Industry.
She delivered a talk at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service on ‘The challenges of a European microstate in the context of the new international arena’. PTI MPB CJ CJ
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