New Delhi: India, which holds observer status in League of Arab States (LAS), is hosting the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (IAFMM) in New Delhi on Saturday, marking the revival of a high-level diplomatic platform after a gap of 10 years. LAS is a pan-Arab body of 22 countries.
The Saturday meeting, co-chaired by India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), brings together foreign ministers, senior officials and representatives from the 22 Arab League member states and the Arab League Secretary General, reported Hindustan Times.
The IAFMM is the highest institutional mechanism guiding cooperation between India and the Arab world. It was first held in Bahrain in January 2016, where both sides identified five priority areas of cooperation — economy, energy, education, media and culture — and proposed a series of activities to deepen engagement across these sectors.
India-Arab partnership since 2002…
The India-Arab partnership was formalised in March 2002 when India and the LAS signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to institutionalise dialogue. A Memorandum of Cooperation to establish the Arab-India Cooperation Forum was signed in 2008 and later updated in 2013 to strengthen its organizational structure.
This is the first time India is hosting the forum on its soil. The meeting follows the fourth India-Arab Senior Officials’ Meeting, held on January 30, 2026, which laid the groundwork for the ministerial discussions.
What’s expected?
According to people familiar with the matter as per the Hindustan Times report, around 15 Arab foreign ministers are expected to take part. Among the notable expected attendees is Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hasan al-Shaybani — a visit that, if realised, would mark the first ministerial-level engagement between New Delhi and Damascus since the formation of its current government. An Indian diplomat had previously visited Damascus in mid-2025 in the first outreach of its kind since the government’s formation, according to the report.
The regional dynamics
The meeting carries broader diplomatic significance given evolving geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East, including differences among regional powers over ongoing conflicts and strategic realignments.
According to experts and various media reports, the meeting also holds significance as it is taking place amid widening differences between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over the situation in Yemen.
In December, Saudi forces struck an Emirati shipment of weapons and equipment intended for the Southern Transitional Council at the Mukalla port and backed an offensive that eventually led to the UAE’s withdrawal from Yemen, reported News 18.
In recent months, Saudi Arabia has also drawn closer to Pakistan and Turkiye on key West Asia-related issues, while the UAE has strengthened its ties with Israel.
Palestine welcomes meet: ‘India is an important player….aspects of conflict to be discussed’
Palestine’s Foreign Minister, Dr Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, welcomed the India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, according to reports. She described it as an important platform and highlighted that it would bring India and Arab countries together to discuss several areas of interest, including the situation in Palestine.
“This is an important forum because it brings India and the Arab countries together, where there will be discussion on areas of interest, one of which would be the situation in Palestine,” Shahin said, reported ANI. She said India is an important player and that different aspects of the conflict would be discussed.
