EAM Jaishankar Meets Ecuador FM Gabriela Sommerfeld, Boosts India-Ecuador Ties

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday held talks with Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld to strengthen bilateral cooperation across key sectors including trade, agriculture, health, digital technology and capacity building.

Welcoming Sommerfeld on her first official visit to India, Jaishankar said both sides explored ways to deepen engagement and agreed to enhance coordination in multilateral forums. He also welcomed Ecuador’s move to begin the process of joining the India-led International Solar Alliance and the International Big Cat Alliance, highlighting growing strategic alignment between the two nations. Ecuador is already a member of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

The two countries also reached an agreement on funding for the implementation of Quick Impact Projects, marking a step forward in expanding their development partnership.

Sommerfeld, who also serves as Ecuador’s Minister of Human Mobility, arrived in New Delhi for a three-day visit aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic ties. During her stay, she is scheduled to visit Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and will meet Union ministers including J.P. Nadda, Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita.

The visit builds on recent high-level engagements between the two countries. In November last year, Margherita visited Ecuador and held discussions with President Daniel Noboa on expanding cooperation in sectors such as agriculture, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, education, tourism, textiles and pharmaceuticals.

During that visit, both sides also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between their diplomatic training institutions and jointly inaugurated the resident Embassy of India in Quito, signalling a deepening of bilateral ties.

India and Ecuador established diplomatic relations in 1969 and have since expanded cooperation through structured engagements, including Foreign Office Consultations, with five rounds held so far.