When India hosts the second India–Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (IAFMM) in New Delhi on 31 January 2026, it will do more than revive a long-dormant diplomatic forum. After a gap of nearly a decade, the meeting signals India’s steady repositioning in the Arab world – from a largely transactional partner to a more consequential strategic interlocutor.

The long pause between the first and second IAFMM reflects how dramatically the regional and global environment has changed. Arab states have spent the past decade navigating political uncertainty after the Arab Spring, regional conflicts, and ambitious programmes of economic diversification. India, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies with expanding diplomatic, commercial, and security interests in West Asia. The renewed meeting underlines a shared recognition that episodic engagement is no longer adequate.

The IAFMM has identified five priority areas—political coordination, trade and investment, energy security, food security, and people-to-people ties, offering a practical framework for cooperation. These priorities highlight mutual dependence. For Arab states facing food........

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