External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday spoke to his counterparts from Poland and Portugal, focusing on ways to expand overall bilateral cooperation.

       After the phone talks with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, Jaishankar said the focus was on the importance of more political exchanges, expanded trade and smoother travel.

       "A comprehensive review of ties today with FM @RauZbigniew of Poland. Agreed on the importance of more political exchanges, expanded trade, smoother travel and regional consultations," he tweeted.

       "Look forward to welcoming him in India soon," Jaishankar added.

       Following his talks with Portuguese foreign minister Augusto Santos Silva, Jaishankar said India counts on Portugal's strong support for expanding its relations with Europe.

       "Called my friend FM Augusto Santos Silva of Portugal. Discussed the Covid situation. The India-EU Leaders' Meeting in Porto and Migration & Mobility Agreement with Portugal were landmarks in 2021," the external affairs minister said.

       "Count on Portugal's strong support for expanding India's relations with Europe," he said.

       In a separate tweet, Jaishankar also congratulated Wopke Hoekstra on his appointment as the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Netherlands.

       "Congratulate @WBHoekstra on his appointment as Deputy PM and Foreign Minister of the Netherlands. Look forward to working with him to advance our strong partnership," he said.

       In the last few days, Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from the US, Russia, the UK, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Nigeria.

       He also spoke to foreign ministers of Egypt, Israel, Australia, Indonesia, Maldives, Bhutan, Iran and France.

       (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)