India and GCC review Joint Action Plan 2024-28 and welcome start of FTA talks at New York Troika meeting
25 September 2026
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar co-chaired the India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Troika Ministerial Meeting in New York on 25 September 2026, on the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
The GCC was represented by Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi and Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir.
The meeting reviewed the India-GCC Joint Action Plan (JAP) 2024-2028, which covers political dialogue, security, trade and investment, agriculture and food security, transportation, energy, health, culture and education.
The ministers welcomed the launch of India-GCC Free Trade Agreement negotiations, after the Terms of Reference were finalised in February 2026.
Total trade between India and the GCC stood at USD 178.66 billion in FY 2025-26, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
Both sides agreed to hold the second India-GCC Joint Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue at an early date.
In plain words
GCC Gulf Cooperation Council — A regional bloc of six Gulf states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Troika — A meeting format in which a group is represented by a team of three of its members or officials.
FTA Free Trade Agreement — A treaty under which partners cut or remove tariffs on trade between them.
Terms of Reference — The agreed scope and rules that frame a negotiation before it starts.