EU invites Jaishankar to interact with bloc's foreign ministers

The European Union has invited External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to participate in an informal meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on September 3, sources said on Tuesday.

The focus of discussions is likely to be on developments in Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific. The EU's Indo-Pacific Strategy is expected in September, sources said.

Slovenia holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the period July to December 2021.

In this capacity, the country is hosting the informal meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on September 3, sources said.

Last week, chief spokesman for the European Commission Eric Mamer said that EU member states should come up with safe legal pathways for people who are particularly at risk, such as female judges and human rights activists, to travel from militant-controlled Afghanistan to Europe.

"We have a duty to help those who are particularly at risk in Afghanistan, be it before or after the deadline. These are ... for example, human rights activists, female judges and lawyers, journalists, educated women and their children. For these groups, the message is quite clear that the EU is asking member states to offer safe pathways to Europe for them to be able to come," Mamer said at a press briefing.

( With inputs from ANI )