Paris, March 26 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar arrived in France on Thursday to attend the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, on the sidelines of which he is also expected to hold significant bilateral discussions with many of his counterparts.

"Arrived at Abbaye des-Vaux-de-Cernay, France to participate in G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with Partner Countries. Was received warmly by Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot of France for my first bilateral," EAM Jaishankar posted on X.

EAM Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to France to participate in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with Partner Countries at the invitation of Barrot. The meeting is set to deliberate on a range of pressing global issues, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and conflict in West Asia.

In a statement, France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs stated, "On Iran and the Middle East, the partners will seek avenues for negotiation to encourage de-escalation, while promoting the security of civilian populations, the re-opening of maritime and trade routes and the cessation of the Iranian regime’s nuclear and ballistic programmes."

"On Ukraine, the G7 partners will reiterate their support for Kyiv in terms of energy and capabilities, and will step up pressure on Russia, especially regarding its shadow fleet," it added.

The ministers will also address several regional situations, including the Indo-Pacific, Sudan, Haiti, Gaza, and Venezuela and Cuba, in light of the events which have taken place since the start of 2026.

According to the statement, France and its partners are seeking to work together to raise funds internationally to repair Chernobyl’s confinement structure, which was severely damaged by a Russian strike in 2025, and to organise a regional conference to combat the trafficking of synthetic drug Captagon in Syria. The ministers will also discuss regional economic integration in the Middle East.

"The Ministers will establish a G7 task force to work on creating a network of ports in G7 countries and other partner countries to step up the fight against drug trafficking. Another priority will be to organise a regional security conference in the Caribbean in Martinique in July 2026, convening countries in the region and G7 partners to step up the fight against drug trafficking in the region, and to organise the fifth 'No Money for Terror' conference, to be held in Paris on 19 May 2026 to combat terrorist financing. Finally, we will discuss securing critical mineral supply chains, following on from the discussions held under the Canadian G7 Presidency," the statement added.

--IANS

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