External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (G7 FMM) in France on March 27, 2026. Photo Credit: @DrSJaishankar/X via PTI
As the US-Israeli war against Iran neared its fourth week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed India and the global South’s concerns over food, fuel and fertilizer shortages with his counterparts from the G-7 advanced economies and others, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Mr. Jaishankar is on the second day of his visit to Vaux-de-Cernay, France, as one of several representatives of visiting countries at the G-7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
He addressed two sessions, one on Global Governance, Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Aid and the other on the India Middle East European Economic Corridor (IMEC). The minister highlighted the importance of having resilient trade corridors, according to MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
“Uncertainties arising from conflicts in West Asia only reinforce more resilient trade corridors and supply chains,” Mr. Jaishankar said in a post on X. “At the same time, India’s free trade agreements with the European Union, EFTA (European Free Trade Association) members and the United Kingdom have increased the utility of IMEC,” he added.
Freedom of navigation
“He emphasized the importance of freedom of navigation for global economic security. As well as the threat of narco-terrorist links,” Mr Jaishankar said.
Energy and commodity markets are reeling under the influence of the conflict in West Asia, where Iran controls the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
Another session at the G-7 meeting included discussions on cooperation on critical minerals.
Iran-Israel War Update March 27, 2026
The minister also held bilateral meetings or talks with his counterparts, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, South Korea and Brazil, as well as the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas.
Exclusion of South Africa
Asked by The Hindu whether India had objected to South Africa’s exclusion from the upcoming G-7 summit in June or the G-20 summit in December, Mr Jaiswal said it was up to the hosts to decide. South Africa participated in the G-7 meetings as a contact country and is a member of the G-20.
France currently chairs the G-7, while the US is hosting the G-20 meeting this year. The US reportedly pressured France to exclude South Africa, although Paris denied this, saying it was inviting Kenya instead this year.
The US and South Africa have recently had a number of diplomatic rifts, including over South Africa’s domestic land reform policies that seek to redress the injustices of apartheid. The two also have differing views on Israel, against which South Africa has filed a case at the International Court of Justice for alleged genocide in Gaza.
Published – 27 March 2026 22:24 IST
