Feb 01: The 4th Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Portugal was held in New Delhi on 31 December 2024, co-chaired by Shri Sanjay Verma, Secretary(West), Ministry of External Affairs and Ambassador Rui Vinhas, Director General for Foreign Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Portugal.
The two sides reviewed bilateral relations with a focus on following up on discussions held during the visit of External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S. Jaishankar to Portugal in October 2023. The FoC focused on political relations, deepening of trade and investment, cooperation in defence, science and technology, energy, tourism, training of diplomats, culture and people-to-people relations. Both sides also stressed on early implementation of the pilot project on the Recruitment of Indian Citizens to work in the Portuguese Republic, as well as the holding of the first India – Portugal Consular Dialogue. Discussions were also held on the joint commemoration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025. They reviewed the ongoing cooperation between India and Portugal on the development of the Maritime Heritage Complex in Lothal, Gujarat.
Both sides expressed happiness at the forthcoming meeting of JWG on Defence in Feb 2024 and decided to hold the next Joint Economic Commission at an early date. They also called for early scheduling of JWG on Agriculture and Renewable energy. Discussions were also held on undertaking projects through triangular cooperation. A review of agreements under negotiation including air connectivity, youth mobility, visa waiver for official passport holders and mutual recognition of academic qualifications was also undertaken.
The two sides also exchanged views on global and regional issues including Gaza and Ukraine and agreed to continue the existing close cooperation in multilateral fora, including at the UN.
India and Portugal share historic and friendly bilateral relations with shared values of democracy and sustainable development, strengthened by frequent high-level exchanges. The 5th FoC will be held in Lisbon on a mutually convenient date.
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