New Delhi, Jan. 23 External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday, left to attend the first ever Ministerial meeting between India and the League of Arab States Foreign Ministers in Bahrain.

“After West Asia, the extended neighb’d calls! EAM @SushmaSwaraj leaves for the 1st India Arab Ministerial in Bahrain. This will be the 1st ever Ministerial meeting between India and the League of Arab States Foreign Ministers,” Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

The India-Arab League ministerial meeting, which comes over a year after the two sides held their first Senior Officials Meeting in Bahrain in November 2014.

The Arab League comprises of Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Kuwait, Algeria, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Mauritania, Somalia, Palestine, Djibouti, and Comoros.

Bahrain is an important partner for India in the Gulf with bilateral trade in 2013-14 exceeding USD 1.3 billion. Over 350,000 Indian nationals work and contribute to the development of Bahrain.

In February 2015, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al-Khalifa, visited India and met Swaraj and discussed various aspects of bilateral relations, which included ways and means to expand bilateral cooperation in the field of education; trade, investment and commerce, security and defence cooperation, exchanges in sectors of media and communication and issues relating to the Indian expatriate community in Bahrain.