Munich, Feb 15 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Saturday held a series of significant meetings on the sidelines of the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany, including with former Prime Minister and Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg who has recently assumed the new role of country's finance minister. "Started the day today meeting Norwegian Finance Minister and incoming chair of Munich Security Conference Jens Stoltenberg. A useful exchange on the evolving global security architecture," EAM Jaishankar posted on X.

Last November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the G20 Summit as both nations focused on enhancing cooperation in areas like blue economy, renewable energy, green hydrogen, solar and wind projects, geo-thermal energy, green shipping, Carbon Capture Utilization & Storage (CCUS), fisheries, space and the Arctic. The Norwegian government had earlier launched the 'India Strategy' that sets clear priorities until 2030 to give a renewed impetus to develop bilateral cooperation with India.

This year, Norway is slated to host the Third India-Nordic Summit, which could see India's relationship with the Nordic countries enter a new phase of cooperation. In his second meeting of the day, the EAM met with Gerardo Werthein, the Foreign and Trade Minister of Argentina where talks focused on further expansion in trade and investment besides sharing perspectives on global affairs. Jaishankar then discussed the "complex challenges of European security" during his meeting with Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Danish politician who has served as the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2022.

Advancing trade, connectivity, and mobility ties between New Delhi and Bucharest topped the discussion between EAM and Emil Hurezeanu, the Foreign Minister of Romania. EAM Jaishankar wrapped up the first half of Saturday meeting Federal Chancellor and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, spotlighting that "his insights on the region are always valuable". "Always a delight to meet my dear colleague Dr S Jaishankar and discuss how to jointly tackle global challenges. Proud to see Austrian-Indian relations at an all-time high!" Schallenberg posted on X after the meeting.

/IANS