India, Portugal discuss ways to expand bilateral ties in defence, trade

India and Portugal on Wednesday agreed to further boost cooperation in areas of defence and security, trade, and migration and mobility partnership.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva held a virtual meeting during which they deliberated ways to further expand the bilateral cooperation in a range of areas.

"They agreed that the momentum in the ties will be maintained particularly in new areas of cooperation such as migration and mobility partnership, defence cooperation, and deepening of economic ties," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

In the talks, the two foreign ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to "reformed multilateralism" and agreed to maintain close contact and coordination on regional and global issues with particular reference to India's presence in the UN Security Council from 2021, the MEA said in a statement.

"Both leaders undertook a detailed review of bilateral ties including the extensive cooperation between the two countries during COVID-19 pandemic and possibilities of cooperation in the post-COVID-19 scenario," it said.

Jaishankar and Silva also discussed India-EU relations.

The MEA said the two foreign ministers also agreed to work closely for the next IndiaEU leaders' meeting during Portugal's Presidency in 2021 for which Prime Minister Antonio Costa has already issued an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.