New York [US], September 22 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held separate meetings with Switzerland Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and Nauru President David Adeang on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, discussing bilateral ties, economic cooperation, and multilateral issues.

Sharing details of his meeting with Cassis in a post on X, Jaishankar said the two sides reviewed the progress in their economic relationship following the entry into force of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement.

"A warm meeting with Swiss FM @ignaziocassis #UNHighLevelWeek. Took stock of our strengthening economic ties with the entry into force of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement. Also discussed global issues and closer multilateral cooperation," Jaishankar said.

https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/2102160987260322002

India signed the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), comprising Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, as part of efforts to expand trade and investment ties with the grouping.

In a separate post, Jaishankar said he met Nauru President David Adeang during the UNGA high-level week and appreciated the bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the two countries.

"Glad to meet President David Adeang of Naoero on the sidelines of #UNHighLevelWeek. Appreciate the strong bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Naoreo. India remains strongly committed as a development partner," he said.

https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/2102143885958885821

The meetings formed part of Jaishankar's diplomatic engagements during the UNGA week, as India seeks to strengthen partnerships across regions and advance cooperation in multilateral forums.

Earlier, Jaishankar attended the first Visegrad Group (V4) and India Foreign Ministers' Meeting, involving Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Following the meeting, he said India and the V4 countries had agreed to deepen cooperation in political, economic, technology, defence, education and people-to-people ties.

The sides also agreed to establish an annual business forum and hold annual meetings of foreign ministers.

Jaishankar said discussions with the V4 countries covered technology and innovation, defence, space, connectivity and mobility, along with major global issues including the Ukraine conflict and developments in the Gulf.

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar also said the V4 countries supported India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council. (ANI)