New Delhi, March 15 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar began a two-day visit to Brussels on Sunday to hold talks with his counterparts from the member states of the 27-nation European Union.
This is the first high-level visit from India to Brussels, headquarters of the EU, after the two sides finalized a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in January.
The external affairs ministry said that Jaishankar is travelling to the capital of Belgium at the invitation of EU High Representative and Vice President Kaja Kallas to interact with the foreign ministers of the 27 member states of the bloc during its Foreign Affairs Council Meeting.
"During the visit, the external affairs minister will also hold meetings with the leadership of the European Union, as well as his counterparts from Belgium and other EU member states," the ministry said.
"The visit of the external affairs minister, coming soon after the historic 16th India-EU summit, is expected to further deepen India's strategic partnership with the European Union," it said in a brief statement.
India and the EU sealed the free trade agreement – billed as the "mother of all deals" – following the summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the top EU leadership on January 27.
As Jaishankar's visit to Brussels takes place amid the Iran-US conflict, the two sides are expected to deliberate on dealing with its consequences, especially on the flow of energy.