Jaishankar to join his counterparts from Israel, US and UAE for virtual meeting

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will join his counterparts from Israel, the US and the UAE on Monday for a virtual meeting aimed at bolstering cooperation among them, sources said.

Jaishankar, who is currently in Israel on his maiden visit to the country, will hold a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan will participate virtually, the Israeli foreign ministry confirmed.

''Economic cooperation, climate change, strengthening people-to-people ties and a coordinated effort to deal with COVID-19 is likely to figure in the discussions,'' sources here said, as a new quad post-Abraham accords seems to be in the making.

In August 2020, Israel, the UAE and the US signed Abraham Accords. The accord helped Israel and the UAE to normalise their ties.

India had welcomed the agreement, saying it “has always supported peace and stability in West Asia which is our extended neighbourhood.'' India and Israel elevated bilateral relations to a strategic partnership during the historic visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel in July 2017.

Since then, the relationship between the two countries has focused on expanding knowledge-based partnership, which includes collaboration in innovation and research, including boosting the 'Make in India' initiative, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement ahead of his departure.

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