Foreign minister Jaishankar speaks with several counterparts

New Delhi, Jan 14 : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday spoke with his counterparts from Japan, the Netherlands, Argentina and Brazil separately and reviewed bilateral ties as well as discussed key issues, including Covid challenges.

In a tweet, Jaishankar said he had a good conversation with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Wopke Hoekstra.

“Wished him a fast recovery from Covid. And a Happy New Year. Discussed our bilateral cooperation, EU and Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar tweeted.

They also exchanged views on celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, he said.

On his discussion with Jaishankar, Hoekstra said on Twitter, “Good to speak with @DrSJaishankar. This year, we celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations, a great milestone. We spoke about our strong bilateral agenda, EU cooperation & developments in the region.”

“I look forward to further strengthening our excellent bilateral relations,” the Dutch foreign minister said.

Earlier, Jaishankar said he was delighted to have a New Year conversation with Japanese counterpart Hayashi Yoshimasa.

“Discussed Covid situation, travel facilitation, bilateral projects, Quad, Myanmar and North Korea,” Jaishankar said.

Look forward to celebrating the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Japan in a befitting manner, he said on Twitter.

Jaishankar also said he carried out a virtual review of bilateral ties with Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero.

“Noted our expanding cooperation, including in commerce. Discussed Covid challenges, pharma trade, mining, defence, nuclear and space issues. Our coordination in multilateral forums has been long standing,” Jaishankar tweeted.

The external affairs minister said he also had a productive discussion with Brazilian foreign minister Carlos França and agreed to hold an early meeting of the bilateral Joint Commission.

“Affirmed our commitment to work closely in the UNSC, BRICS and IBSA,” Jaishankar said.