EAM Jaishankar to begin two-nation visit to Greece, Italy on Friday

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will begin a two-nation visit of Greece and Italy on Friday.

In Italy, Jaishankar will attend a meeting of foreign ministers of G20 countries as well as another one of development ministers of the bloc, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

"External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be leaving tomorrow for a visit to Greece and to Italy. In Greece, he would make a bilateral visit on June 25 and 26 for talks with his Greek counterpart apart from other engagements," MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing.

It will be the first visit to Greece at the level of the external affairs minister since 2003.

"After Greece, the external affairs minister will travel to Italy to attend G20 ministerial meetings," Bagchi said.

The G20 summit is scheduled to be held in Italy in October. India is expected to hold the presidency of the G20 in 2022.

The G20 is an influential bloc that brings together the world's major economies. The G20 member countries collectively account for more than 80 per cent of world GDP, 75 per cent of the global trade and 60 per cent of the population of the planet.

The G20 member countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.