Foreign ministers of India, Portugal discuss bilateral cooperation, agree to boost defence, economic ties

India and Portugal on Wednesday agreed to further boost cooperation in areas of defence and security, migration and mobility partnership and deepening economic ties.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a virtual meeting with his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva, during which they undertook a detailed review of bilateral ties including the extensive cooperation between the two nations during the COVID-19 pandemic and possibilities of cooperation in a post-COVID scenario.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement said that the two ministers appreciated the upward trajectory in the bilateral ties witnessed in the last few years highlighted by frequent exchanges of high-level visits, and agreed that the momentum in the ties will be maintained particularly in new areas of cooperation such as migration and mobility partnership, defence cooperation, and deepening of economic ties.

The leaders also discussed India - EU relations and agreed to work closely for the next India - EU27 leaders meeting during Portugal's Presidency in 2021 for which Prime Minister Antonio Costa has already issued an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to reformed multilateralism and agreed to maintain close contact and coordination on regional and global issues with particular reference to India's presence in the United Nations Security Council from 2021.

( With inputs from ANI )