Overview
- Representatives from all 22 Arab League states and LAS Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit are in Delhi for the Jan. 31 session after senior officials met on Jan. 30.
- A joint statement is expected to carry forward the 2016 priorities spanning economy, energy, education, media and culture.
- EAM S. Jaishankar held bilateral talks with counterparts from Palestine, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Comoros, and met Aboul Gheit to review cooperation and regional developments.
- Palestine’s foreign minister urged India to support Gaza reconstruction along with humanitarian and development assistance, and emphasized backing for a two-state solution.
- Economic ties set the backdrop, with India–Arab trade near USD 240 billion and the region supplying key shares of India’s crude, LNG, LPG and fertilisers, supported by a nine‑million‑strong Indian diaspora.