External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will visit Abbaye des-Vaux-de-Cernay in France on March 26 and 27 to participate in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting with partner countries, according to an official statement. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in France on a two-day visit to represent India as a partner country at the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the G7 (Group of Seven) advanced economies. The Minister held bilateral talks with his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot in Abbaye des-Vaux-de-Cernay on Thursday (March 26, 2026). Front and centre of the G7 agenda is the war in Iran and its impact on global energy and stock markets. Discussions on the Russia-Ukraine war and the reform of multilateralism are also on the cards.
“We will work to bring about a new international order and to build a more balanced and fairer system, underpinned by a renewed multilateralism. Reforming global governance and combatting cross-cutting threats require a collective commitment which extends beyond G7 members alone,” Mr. Barrot said in a statement.
The first session on Thursday (March 26, 2026), on reforming global governance, will involve G7 partner countries including India, South Korea, Brazil and Saudi Arabia. The Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, was also invited as was the E.U.’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) President Odile Renaud-Basso.
The session will specifically focus on the reform of UN Peacekeeping missions, according to a French diplomat who did not want to be named, as well as the more efficient organisation of humanitarian aid delivery logistics, such as via hubs. The session will also look at the UN Secretary General’s report on peacekeeping (presumably the 2023 ‘New Agenda for Peace’).
Friday’s (March 27, 2026) session on Iran will only be for G7 countries and the session on Ukraine will be in the G7 and Ukraine format.
The Iran session will discuss negotiations around the war in West Asia, the safety of civilians, the opening of maritime and trade routes and the cessation of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs as per an agenda document.
There is also a G7 and EU discussion on “peace and security” that will include discussions on Iran, West Asia, crises in Cuba, Venezuela and Ukraine.
During his visit, Mr. Jaishankar is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced.
However, as of this writing, no bilateral meeting with Mr. Jaishankar has been announced. Mr. Jaishankar had spoken with Mr. Rubio on March 23 to discuss the West Asia war, its impact on the international economy and energy security.
Published – March 26, 2026 11:41 am IST
